The Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) has urged communities at the epicenter of the Ebola outbreak in northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to seek early treatment for suspected cases and follow safe burial practices to help contain the disease.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made the appeal on Saturday during a visit to Bunia, one of the areas hardest hit by the outbreak.
Hospitals in the area have been overwhelmed by the number of patients, and not everyone is receiving care.
Tedros met with the area's military governor to assess the situation, understand local needs and determine how the WHO can help stop the disease from spreading further.
Bunia, the capital of Ituri Province in northeastern DRC, is close to the Ugandan border. Some Ebola cases reported in neighboring Uganda involved people who had traveled from the province. In response, Uganda has closed its border with the DRC, while the DRC government has restricted travel to the affected area.
The latest outbreak, declared on May 15, is the 17th in the DRC since the virus was first identified in 1976. Over the past two weeks, more than 1,000 suspected cases and more than 230 suspected deaths have been reported. Neighboring Uganda has also reported nine confirmed cases.
WHO chief urges early treatment for suspected Ebola cases in DR Congo
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Sunday emphasized that attacks on nuclear facilities are unacceptable and must stop to avoid the "very real risk of a nuclear accident."
In a post on social media platform X, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi also described the Saturday strike as a "serious incident" that endangered key nuclear safety principles.
The post said an IAEA team inspected the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) after it was reportedly struck by a drone the previous day. The team observed damage to a metal access hatch on the exterior of a turbine building, as well as debris and burned fragments of optical fibers scattered on the ground.
Based on its observations, the team concluded that the damage was consistent with the impact of a drone strike.
The IAEA said that while a follow-up inspection inside the turbine building was interrupted by nearby drone activity and gunfire, its experts confirmed that radiation levels at the site remained normal. Measurements showed no immediate radiological threat.
Russia's state nuclear corporation Rosatom said on Saturday that a Ukrainian drone hit the turbine island of Unit 6 at the ZNPP, but Ukraine's Southern Defense Forces denied Russia's allegation. International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi expressed serious concern over the reported strike, warning that attacks on nuclear facilities are "like playing with fire."
The Zaporizhzhia plant, one of Europe's largest nuclear power facilities, has been under Russian control since March 2022.
IAEA chief urges "stop" to nuclear sites attacks after Zaporizhzhia drone strike
