World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Saturday that local communities must remain at the center of the response to the rapidly evolving Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), as health teams race to contain the emergency that has spread across multiple provinces and into neighboring Uganda.
Speaking to reporters after arriving in the city of Bunia, the capital of Ituri Province and the main epicenter of the outbreak, Tedros said the core strategy for epidemic prevention and control is community management under the leadership of the government, explaining that the WHO delegation is in the country to provide necessary support.
"The international community is involved under the leadership of the government of the DRC. And at the same time, community ownership is important. That's why we're here," he said.
Tedros used his visit to meet government officials, community leaders, humanitarian agencies and health partners, emphasizing that public confidence and community participation would be essential to ending transmission.
"We're here to listen. Communities understand their own challenges and their own solutions. Our role is to support you in implementing those solutions together. Community ownership is what will bring this outbreak to an end," he said.
He expressed hope to engage with women's groups, religious leaders, business representatives and young people during his visit, describing trust-building as a process that "starts with listening."
The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a relatively rare strain of Ebola first identified in Uganda in 2007. While no approved vaccine or treatment currently exists, Tedros stressed that survival is possible with timely medical care.
Prior to his arrival in Bunia, the WHO chief visited Kinshasa, the DRC capital, as the country steps up its response to the fast-spreading Ebola outbreak.
On Thursday, the Africa CDC reported a total of 1,077 suspected cases and 246 probable deaths have been recorded since the DRC declared its 17th Ebola outbreak two weeks ago.
Uganda has also reported nine confirmed cases after detecting two new infections in the capital, Kampala, the Ugandan health ministry said on Friday.
WHO chief urges DRC communities to take lead role in containing Ebola
WHO chief urges DRC communities to take lead role in containing Ebola
