Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus briefed reporters in Geneva a day after returning from the DRC, where he met a wide range of stakeholders, and said he was encouraged by the government’s commitment to fighting the deadly epidemic, which has also spread to neighboring Uganda.
“What I saw gave me hopehe said.
“The outbreak had a big lead and we are still behind, but under the leadership of the DRC government we are catching up.”
Reduction of caseload
The outbreak is caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola virus, for which there is no treatment, although three vaccines are in development.
Tedros said 344 cases have been confirmed in the DRC, including 60 deaths. Meanwhile the number of suspected cases has now been reduced from over 1,000 last week to 116 as teams work through the backlog.
The epicenter of the outbreak is the eastern province of Ituri, with cases also in North and South Kivu provinces. It unfolds amid ongoing violence from armed groups, other health threats such as malaria and dire humanitarian needs.
Three Ebola treatment centers are now operational in Ituri’s capital, Bunia, with a capacity of 80 beds. Treatment units have also been established in five other regional cities and more are on the way.
Risk and recovery
Meanwhile Uganda has recorded one confirmed death and 15 confirmed casesincluding a Congolese resident who traveled there from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). An American citizen who was infected in the DRC continues to receive care in Germany.
The WHO risk assessment is unchanged, remaining very high at the national level and high at the regional level, while global risk is low.
Six people in the DRC and two in Uganda have recovered to date, “showing that people can survive Ebola if they have access to care and go to health facilities as soon as they show symptoms.”
A WFP worker speaks to women preparing food for people affected by Ebola in Goma, the capital of DRC’s North Kivu province.
Raise the stakes
Tedros outlined ongoing challenges and noted that scaling up laboratory and diagnostic capacity is a key priority to ensure faster response.
Action on contact tracing is required, which is particularly difficult due to insecurity, displacement and population movements. he said the current follow-up rate, about 45 percent, needs to reach over 90 percent “to get ahead of the outbreak”.
The WHO is also asking countries that have imposed blanket travel restrictions to lift them, as these measures are disrupting supply chains and hampering efforts. The UN agency recommends exit screening at airports, ports and border crossings.
Build trust in the community
Tedros stressed the critical need to build confidence in local communities to bring the outbreak under control. “Community distrust is a serious barrier“, he said. “Some community leaders told me they believe Ebola is not real.”
Although there are currently no vaccines or therapeutics to treat the outbreak, WHO and partners are working to advance clinical trials as soon as possible.
In this regard, Tedros on Wednesday convened a second meeting of a medical network established in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic to strengthen diagnostics, immediately support affected countries in leading clinical trials and accelerate investments to support the overall response.
“While vaccines and treatments would be of great help, the key to ending this outbreak is not biomedical. It is management, ownership, partnership and trusthe said.
Commitment and support
The DRC has faced 16 previous Ebola outbreaks and Tedros was adamant that this will be stopped, but “the real measure of success” will be to prevent future recurrence and address wider health needs.
“If the people of Ituri survive Ebola only to die of malaria or malnutrition, or pneumonia or diarrheal diseases or HIV or diabetes, we haven’t really helped them,” he said.
He emphasized the commitment of WHO and partners to end the outbreak under the leadership of the DRC authorities.
“When it ends, we will remain equally committed to supporting government and communities to build the health and humanitarian services they need and deserve,” he said.
