Ebola Containment in Congo Shows Progress, WHO Says
Speaking to journalists in Geneva after traveling directly to the front lines of the crisis in Ituri province, Tedros credited coordinated efforts among government authorities, community figures, health personnel, and global aid partners for the measured gains.
"The outbreak had a big head start, and we're still behind, but under the leadership of the government, we are catching up," he said.
344 Confirmed Cases, 60 Dead Across Three Provinces
WHO figures reveal 344 confirmed Ebola infections — 60 of them fatal — spread across 24 health zones in three provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Across the border, Uganda has logged 15 confirmed cases and one death.
One encouraging indicator: suspected case counts dropped sharply to 116 from a staggering 1,000-plus just seven days earlier, as investigators cleared a significant backlog. Even so, WHO maintains a very high national risk assessment, a high regional rating, and a low global threat level.
Tedros pointed to recoveries as evidence that the disease can be beaten when patients seek help early.
"So far, six people have recovered in DRC and two in Uganda, showing that people can survive Ebola if they have access to care and go to health facilities as soon as they show symptoms," he said.
Alarming Gap: Less Than Half of Contacts Being Monitored
Among the WHO's most pressing operational concerns is a severely underperforming contact tracing system. Roughly 45% of flagged contacts are currently being followed up — less than half the 90%-plus rate WHO deems essential to outpace the virus's spread.
Denial is fueling the fire. Tedros revealed that certain community leaders encountered during his field visit continue to reject the outbreak's very existence — a dangerous misconception he described as urgently needing to be dismantled.
"Ebola is not real," he said, characterizing the perilous belief persisting in some local circles.
WHO Calls on Nations to Drop Travel Bans
Tedros delivered a pointed rebuke to governments that have enacted sweeping travel restrictions, warning that such blanket measures are disrupting critical supply chains and actively hampering relief operations.
"We ask countries that have imposed blanket travel restrictions to lift them," he said, calling instead for systematic exit screening at airports, ports, and border crossings to curb any cross-border spread.
A Crisis Within a Crisis
Vaccines and treatments matter — but Tedros insisted the true pillars of an effective response are "leadership, ownership, partnership and trust."
He concluded with a broader humanitarian appeal, underscoring that Congo's population faces a constellation of deadly threats that extend well beyond Ebola alone.
"If the people of Ituri survive Ebola only to die from malaria or malnutrition, or pneumonia or diarrheal disease or HIV or diabetes, we have not really helped them," he said.
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