DRC Faces 'Catastrophic Collision' of Conflict and Ebola Outbreak, WHO Warns
The WHO said 10 confirmed deaths and 220 suspected deaths have been recorded since mid-May as clashes block containment efforts.
- On Wednesday, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that conflict raging in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo was dramatically complicating efforts to contain a deadly Ebola outbreak, describing it as a 'catastrophic collision of disease and conflict.'
- Eastern DRC has endured three decades of conflict involving armed groups, leaving Ituri province with largely absent state services and under military rule since 2021, conditions that Ghebreyesus said make containment 'extremely difficult.'
- The WHO has recorded 10 confirmed Ebola deaths and 220 suspected deaths since mid-May, with 900 additional suspected cases; only 17 deaths have been lab-confirmed, while approximately 3,600 people have had contact with infected individuals.
- Fighting between the Congolese military and rebel groups is displacing populations into overcrowded camps and severing containment corridors, while attacks on health facilities prevent case tracking and force frontline workers to operate under extreme risk.
- Without an approved vaccine or treatment for the Bundibugyo strain, containment depends entirely on humanitarian access; the WHO recently raised the risk level to 'very high,' prompting travel bans from the United States, Canada, Uganda, and South Sudan.
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49 Articles
WHO DG heading to Ebola-hit DR Congo
The World Health Organization’s chief said Thursday he was heading to the Democratic Republic of Congo to support colleagues battling a deadly Ebola outbreak, voicing confidence they would defeat the virus. According to its latest figures up to May 24, the WHO has recorded 10 confirmed and 223 suspected Ebola deaths in the DR Congo since the outbreak was declared in mid-May, out of more than 1,000 confirmed and suspected cases. WHO director-gene…
WHO calls for ceasefire in DR Congo to contain Ebola
The WHO has warned that ongoing conflict in eastern DRC is severely hampering efforts to contain the Ebola outbreak. Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described it as “a catastrophic collision of disease and conflict.”
Call for Ceasefire Amidst Escalating Ebola Crisis in Congo
The WHO urges a ceasefire in eastern Congo to control an Ebola outbreak exacerbated by ongoing conflict, leading to mass displacement. The epidemic, a global emergency, is worsening as fighting hampers medical response efforts. Aid shortages and community distrust hinder effective disease containment measures.
Director of the World Health Organization warns that fighting in the Democratic Republic of the Congo hinders efforts to contain the virus
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