The Director-General of the World Health Organisation, Tedros Ghebreyesus, has commended the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo for its handling of the Ebola outbreak in the country.
Ebola virus disease is a severe and often fatal illness in humans, with case fatality rates ranging from 25 to 90 per cent in past outbreaks, according to the WHO.
It spreads through human-to-human transmission via direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected persons or contaminated materials.
A statement shared on WHO’s official account on Thursday noted that Ghebreyesus made the remarks while giving an update on the situation in the Central African nation.
According to him, the outbreak has already claimed dozens of lives.
The WHO chief praised the DRC authorities for their swift action in containing the virus.
“Now to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It’s been two weeks since the Government of the #DRC declared an #Ebola outbreak near the central town of Bulape. So far, 48 confirmed and probable cases have been reported, and 31 people have died.
“I congratulate the government, the Ministry of Health and DRC’s institutions for their leadership in this response. Years of investment and experience are paying off. WHO and our partners are supporting the government. So far, we have delivered more than 14 tons of essential medical equipment and supplies, and deployed 48 experts.
“More than 900 contacts have been listed and are being followed up. Vaccination of contacts, potential contacts and frontline workers is underway,” the statement quoted Ghebreyesus as having stated.
He explained that treatment efforts were already yielding encouraging results, stating, “We have also helped to set up an Ebola treatment centre with 48 beds, with 16 patients currently being treated. Courses of the monoclonal antibody therapy Mab114 have also been sent to treatment centres in Bulape, and so far, 14 patients have received the drug. And on Tuesday this week, the first two patients to recover were discharged,” he noted.
Ghebreyesus further disclosed that the WHO had launched a fresh appeal to enable the country to scale up its response to the epidemic.
“This week, WHO launched an appeal for US$21 million to support DRC to scale up its response. We ask donors to support this response. Your investment now will help to save lives and stop this outbreak at the source,” he said.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo has faced repeated Ebola outbreaks in recent years. The country’s most devastating episode occurred between 2018 and 2020 in the eastern provinces, where more than 2,200 people died.
Lessons from that crisis, including advances in vaccination, rapid diagnostics, and therapeutic drugs, have since shaped the country’s response capacity.
The current outbreak near Bulape underscores the continuing threat the virus poses to communities in Central Africa, even as health authorities battle to contain it swiftly.
