The head of the World Health Organization warned on Monday that the Ebola outbreak spreading across the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda was moving faster than response efforts could keep up with, as the suspected death toll reached 220.
Speaking at an online African Union meeting on the outbreak, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said delays in detecting cases had left responders "playing catch-up," and that the epidemic was likely to worsen before it improved. Tedros said he would travel to Congo, the epicentre of the outbreak, on Tuesday, accompanied by WHO senior emergencies official Chikwe Ihekweazu.
Uganda reported two additional confirmed cases on Monday, bringing its total to seven. Tedros said other countries bordering Congo were at high risk and should take immediate action.
Containment efforts face two compounding obstacles. Congo's Ituri and North Kivu provinces, where the outbreak is centred, are highly insecure, making it difficult to deploy response teams. Additionally, the outbreak involves the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which no approved vaccines exist, unlike the more common Zaire strain that has been successfully controlled in past outbreaks.
The WHO has declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.
Source: Reuters
