WHO chief urges safe burials in visit to DR Congo
The World Health Organization chief traveled to the state hardest-hit by the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, urging residents to seek treatment and have safe burials as authorities scramble to contain the deadly disease.
The outbreak, the 17th in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the third largest since Ebola was discovered half a century ago, is outpacing the global response; WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus acknowledged this before leaving for Kinshasa on Thursday this week.
His visit comes after Brazil announced on Saturday that it was investigating a suspected Ebola case in Sao Paulo state involving a man who recently visited the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Officials said the patient was in isolation at a private hospital.
After meeting Prime Minister Judith Suminwa Tuluka on Friday, Tedros flew to Bunia, the Ituri provincial capital, on Saturday, where the first cases were confirmed earlier this month.
At a press conference with the health minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tedros said that there is no approved vaccine or treatment for the rare Bundibugyo strain, making early palliative care, including isolation, rehydration and pain management, critical.
“Seeking care early makes a real difference,” she said.
He also urged residents to have safe burials, warning that the bodies of Ebola victims were highly contagious.
“I understand how painful it is to lose someone and how important it is to honor them properly,” he said.
“While we grieve for those we have lost, we must do everything we can to avoid losing another.”
There have already been numerous attacks on healthcare facilities by crowds seeking to reclaim bodies for traditional funerals, where family members tend to the body without proper protective equipment.
WHO said Friday there were 906 suspected cases of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo, of which 223 suspicious deaths were under investigation.
Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba said later Friday that authorities had identified 1,028 suspected cases, with 225 confirmed.
Health officials and aid workers say even basic supplies such as masks are in short supply after the outbreak spread undetected for weeks.
Medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres warned on Saturday that the response was inadequate.
MSF’s deputy director of operations, Dr. “Never before has an Ebola outbreak recorded so many cases so soon after its declaration,” Alan Gonzalez said in a statement. he said.
“Like everyone else in the affected areas, MSF teams are witnessing a response that has not yet caught up with the rapid spread of the epidemic.”
Gonzalez added that the number and level of support of medical organizations in the field remain far below what is needed.
Tedros, who arrived in Kinshasa on Thursday, called for more international support, saying the WHO had received only a third of the funding it needed.
Ebola cases have been confirmed in three provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and neighboring Uganda, which closed its border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo this week.
Kamba spent a few days in Ituri before Tedros’ visit.
At a press conference on Thursday, he dismissed reports suggesting the outbreak was “out of control.”
Appearing on stage with Tedros on Saturday, he said health authorities had sufficient resources to meet testing needs, although MSF said “hundreds of samples had not been tested”.
Kamba said Democratic Republic of Congo’s experience with Ebola, including a small outbreak last year, would help contain the disease, adding that neighboring countries should keep borders open.
“We have experience with epidemics. We beat Ebola last year. We’re telling you, trust us, we know what we’re doing.”
with DPA
