UN relief chief calls for efforts to contain Ebola in Congo

United Nations, July 10 (IANS) UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher called for urgent action to contain Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the region.

“We need to move faster to break the back of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo,” said Fletcher in a statement on Thursday. “Ituri province remains the centre of the outbreak, but the virus is spreading across other provinces where conflict and the constant movement of people increase the risk of further transmission.”

Since the outbreak was declared on May 15, more than 1,700 people have been infected and 600 have died in the DRC. Uganda has confirmed 20 cases, he said.

The ongoing Ebola outbreak in the DRC remains in a “very active” phase, DRC Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba said Thursday in Bunia, capital of the eastern Ituri province, the epicenter of the outbreak, Xinhua news agency reported.

Citing high population density, frequent population movement, and local factors that complicate community engagement, Kamba said it was still too early to determine when the outbreak would reach its peak.

“This is more than a public health emergency,” Fletcher said, noting that before the Ebola outbreak, millions were already facing conflict, hunger, displacement, weak basic services and limited health care.

He said the United Nations was scaling up its Ebola response and other actors need to act with the same urgency.

“All parties must facilitate safe and sustained access for humanitarian and health workers, supplies and response equipment. Borders and supply routes must remain open,” said Fletcher. “Donors must ensure that pledged funding reaches responders quickly and flexibly. We must support both the Ebola response and the wider humanitarian operation that vulnerable communities depend on.”

The latest situation update, posted Thursday on X by the DRC’s Ministry of Communications and Media, reported 1,792 confirmed cases, including 625 deaths. A total of 764 patients are currently in isolation or hospitalization, while 295 patients have recovered. The overall case fatality rate stood at 34.1 per cent.

–IANS

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