The head of the World Health Organization arrived Saturday in Bunia, a city in eastern Congo at the center of a fast-moving Ebola outbreak, as health authorities reported 906 suspected cases and 223 suspected deaths.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus traveled to Bunia to visit a treatment center and meet with local officials, health workers and affected families. He told reporters Friday that the DRC had faced Ebola before and could bring it under control again. "The best way to address this is to provide all the necessary support to fight the disease at its epicenter and to continue offering every assistance needed," Tedros said.
The current strain is the Bundibugyo virus, a rare type of Ebola with no approved treatment or vaccine. Neighboring Uganda has confirmed nine cases and one death, according to the Ugandan ministry of health.
Doctors Without Borders, also known as MSF, warned Saturday that the response has not kept pace with the spread. According to ABC News, the organization called it one of the fastest-spreading outbreaks on record. "Never before has an Ebola outbreak recorded so many cases so soon after its declaration," said Dr. Alan Gonzalez, MSF's deputy director of operations. "Nobody knows the true scale and severity of this outbreak," Gonzalez added, calling for expanded testing, faster deployment of aid workers and sustained supply access.
Response efforts at two hospitals in Bunia appeared more organized in recent days, with added staff, protective equipment and medical supplies. But patients continued arriving around the clock, and the outbreak has spread into the Congolese provinces of North Kivu as well as Ituri.
Medical aid from the European Union arrived in Ituri on Thursday. The United States announced $80 million in additional aid the same day, bringing total U.S. commitment to more than $112 million.
The response has also been complicated by local tensions. Residents have launched at least three attacks on health centers, driven by conflict between strict medical protocols for handling bodies and local burial customs. Armed attacks by the Allied Democratic Force, a rebel group linked to the Islamic State, and ethnic militia coalitions have also hindered aid access.
The outbreak has drawn global attention given its pace and the absence of any approved medical countermeasure for the Bundibugyo strain.
