The director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO) on Saturday called on communities at the center of the latest Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo to play a central role in fighting the disease.
The head of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, arrived in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Thursday to coordinate the response to the epidemic. By Friday, Congolese authorities had reported 1,028 suspected Ebola cases, Reuters notes.
“Communities understand the problems better and they also know the solutions,” Tedros told reporters after arriving in Bunia, the capital of Ituri province, one of the areas hardest hit by the current Ebola outbreak.
“Yes, the international community is involved, under the coordination of the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. At the same time, the direct involvement of the communities is essential. That is why we are here: to talk to the people and see how the response to the epidemic is going and, if there are difficulties, to provide support,” Tedros said.
Arriving in the capital Kinshasa on Thursday, the head of the WHO called for more consistent international support to fight the epidemic, saying that the organization has so far received only a third of the necessary funds.
French humanitarian organization Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) warned on Saturday that the latest Ebola outbreak – the 17th recorded in the country since 1976 – was spreading at an unprecedented rate.
“Never before has an Ebola outbreak recorded so many cases so soon after its declaration,” Alan Gonzalez, MSF's deputy director of operations, said in a statement.
He added that the number of specialized medical organizations present on the ground and the level of support given to combat the epidemic are still far below the real need.
