By Elsie Kamsiyochi
The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) has called for stronger community involvement and greater international funding as the Democratic Republic of Congo battles a rapidly escalating Ebola outbreak that health experts warn is spreading at an alarming pace.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus arrived in eastern Congo this week to help coordinate efforts against the country’s latest Ebola emergency, emphasizing that local communities must play a central role in stopping the deadly virus. Speaking in Bunia, the capital of Ituri province and one of the outbreak’s major hotspots, Tedros stressed that success in controlling Ebola depends not only on international aid but also on cooperation from people living in affected regions.
“The communities understand the problems better, and they know the solutions as well,” Tedros said during his visit. He explained that while international organizations and the Congolese government are working together to contain the outbreak, meaningful community participation remains critical. According to him, local residents are often best placed to identify challenges, encourage public health compliance, and help authorities build trust in response measures.
The WHO chief traveled to Congo as authorities reported a sharp increase in suspected Ebola infections. By Friday, Congolese officials had recorded more than 1,028 suspected cases linked to the outbreak, raising concerns among global health agencies about the speed of transmission. Medical teams are continuing efforts to identify cases, trace contacts, and expand treatment access in high-risk areas.
Tedros first arrived in the Congolese capital of Kinshasa on Thursday, where he warned that international support for the response remains far below what is needed. He revealed that the WHO has received only around one-third of the funding required to effectively combat the outbreak, creating major challenges for medical operations, staffing, supplies, and emergency logistics.
Health organizations on the ground are increasingly alarmed. The international medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders, warned on Saturday that the current outbreak — Congo’s 17th Ebola epidemic since the virus was first identified in 1976 — is spreading at an unprecedented rate.
Alan Gonzalez, MSF’s deputy director of operations, said the outbreak has developed faster than any previously recorded Ebola emergency in the country. “Never before has an Ebola outbreak recorded so many cases so soon after its declaration,” he said in a statement, highlighting growing concerns over the virus’s trajectory.
MSF also warned that the number of trained medical teams responding to the outbreak remains insufficient. The organization said the level of international assistance and expert deployment still falls significantly short of what is necessary to contain the disease before it spreads further into surrounding communities or across borders.
The outbreak is linked to the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, a less common but dangerous variant of the virus. Ebola outbreaks often present severe challenges in Congo due to weak healthcare systems, insecurity in conflict-affected regions, and public distrust of authorities, all of which can complicate containment efforts.
As health officials race to prevent the outbreak from worsening, Tedros’ visit signals growing urgency among global institutions. Experts warn that without faster funding, stronger medical support, and deeper engagement from local communities, Congo could face an even more severe humanitarian and public health crisis in the weeks ahead.
Source Reuters
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