EU Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid
"With the expansion of surveillance due to the Ebola outbreak in the DRC, over 900 suspected cases have been detected, among which 101 have been confirmed," he posted on social media.
Ghebreyesus highlighted that Ituri Province, the outbreak's epicenter, has a population of 5 million residents. One out of four individuals needs humanitarian aid, and one in five are displaced within their own country. "Violence is driving individuals away from their residences, including health and humanitarian aid personnel. This is significantly hindering the growth of contact tracing and the early identification of infections," stated the WHO director.
On May 17, the WHO announced a state of emergency because of the Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. On May 22, the organization increased the risk level in the DRC from "high" to "very high."
Ghebreyesus highlighted that at the regional scale, in sub-Saharan Africa, the risk is still "high," whereas the global evaluation is "low."
The organization's leader stated that the situation is made more complex due to the outbreak being linked to a rare Ebola virus variant that lacks approved vaccines or targeted treatments. This variant has been documented in outbreaks on just two previous occasions: in Uganda in 2000 and in the DRC in 2012.
source: who.int
Ghebreyesus highlighted that Ituri Province, the outbreak's epicenter, has a population of 5 million residents. One out of four individuals needs humanitarian aid, and one in five are displaced within their own country. "Violence is driving individuals away from their residences, including health and humanitarian aid personnel. This is significantly hindering the growth of contact tracing and the early identification of infections," stated the WHO director.
On May 17, the WHO announced a state of emergency because of the Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. On May 22, the organization increased the risk level in the DRC from "high" to "very high."
Ghebreyesus highlighted that at the regional scale, in sub-Saharan Africa, the risk is still "high," whereas the global evaluation is "low."
The organization's leader stated that the situation is made more complex due to the outbreak being linked to a rare Ebola virus variant that lacks approved vaccines or targeted treatments. This variant has been documented in outbreaks on just two previous occasions: in Uganda in 2000 and in the DRC in 2012.
source: who.int