The World Health Organization has appealed for strong community cooperation to contain the Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, saying the response must involve every citizen.
WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made the plea during a visit to Ituri province, where he opened a treatment centre in Bunia. His visit followed local protests against strict medical procedures for handling the bodies of people who die from the disease; those concerns have been linked to at least three attacks on health facilities.
The current outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, for which there is no vaccine. Ghebreyesus emphasised, however, that infected people can recover if they seek care early and receive appropriate medical support.
Health authorities reported that five patients have recovered, and four were due to be discharged on Sunday after an earlier patient was released. The WHO has recorded 906 suspected cases and 223 suspected deaths in the DRC. Neighbouring Uganda has confirmed nine cases and one death.
Violence and clashes among armed groups in mineral-rich Ituri have hindered relief efforts. Ghebreyesus called for a ceasefire, saying no grievance justifies condemning civilians to death from a preventable disease.
Authorities outside Africa are also monitoring possible cases. Brazilian officials said they were observing two patients in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro: a 37-year-old man from the DRC in São Paulo who had fever and met the definition of a suspected Ebola case, and a person from Uganda in Rio who developed viral symptoms such as cough, chills and diarrhoea.
The WHO has declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern. This is the 17th recorded Ebola epidemic in the DRC since the disease was first identified there in 1976. Across past outbreaks the disease has averaged about a 50% fatality rate.
Health workers and aid agencies have reported shortages of basic supplies including masks. Medical shipments from the European Union reached Ituri last week, and the US announced an additional $80 million in aid, bringing its total contribution to $112 million.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention urged rapid activation of national incident systems and warned that investments in pandemic preparedness must be sustained. Its director general, Jean Kaseya, wrote that international assistance is most effective when it supports strategies led by African institutions and governments, stressing that Africa should define its own response.
Médecins Sans Frontières warned the outbreak is spreading unusually quickly and expressed deep concern that response efforts have not yet matched the epidemic’s pace. MSF said the true scale of the outbreak remains unclear because new suspected cases are being reported daily while many samples are still untested.
The WHO reiterated that community engagement, early presentation to health facilities, and safe practices around burials and care are essential to control the epidemic and save lives.