WHO urges ceasefire in Congo to contain Ebola as cases surge

GENEVA/DAKAR - The head of the World Health Organisation (WHO) on May 27 called for a ceasefire in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in order to contain an Ebola outbreak, saying that ongoing fighting was driving mass displacement and spreading the disease in overcrowded camps.

The Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which there is no approved vaccine or treatment, was declared an emergency of international concern by the WHO earlier this month and cases are rising sharply.

“Eastern DRC now faces a catastrophic collision of disease and conflict, with the Ebola outbreak in Ituri province outpacing the response,” said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who is due to travel to the region this week.

“We cannot build community trust or isolate the sick while bombs are falling. We urge all warring parties to agree to an immediate ceasefire to contain this outbreak,” he said on X.

Over 900 suspected cases and over 200 suspected deaths have so far been reported in three provinces in eastern Congo including North and South Kivu provinces, partially controlled by Rwanda-backed M23 rebels.

Aid group Save the Children said on May 27 that a quarter of the confirmed deaths were children, calling for a scale-up in infection prevention measures.

Fighting has continued in eastern Congo despite mediation efforts led by the US and others, and millions of people are displaced. The UN refugee agency said transit and reception sites in Uganda’s West Nile region which borders Congo are at more than double capacity, a document showed.

Aid groups are rushing staff and equipment to eastern Congo but attacks on medics due to community distrust have hampered efforts, they say. So far, donors have pledged around US$500 million to help with the outbreak but not all has been disbursed, according to health officials.

Shortage of protective equipment

A doctor in Butembo in the province of North Kivu in the DRC, where there have been six deaths out of seven cases of Ebola, told Reuters they have only two body bags left, amid a shortage of equipment.

“If there are more deaths, I don't know how we will manage,” the doctor said on the condition of anonymity due to concerns it could impact their employment.

“We recently had to secure a body - we had no choice but to use our own money to buy a body bag,” the doctor added.

The doctor also reported critical shortages of soap, chlorine and personal protective gear including boots, body suits, masks and gloves, and said that foreign aid cuts to international and local NGOs were partly to blame. REUTERS