WHO chief visits eastern Congo amid Ebola outbreak

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has called  for more international help to combat the spread of the deadly Ebola virus in DR Congo as he arrived in the eastern province worst-hit by a severe outbreak. The World Health Organization (WHO) director general told reporters in Bunia, capital of Ituri province on Saturday, that the international community was helping the DR Congo government cope with the outbreak. But he added that "community ownership" was also needed – including overcoming "mistrust" and false information – and an increase in financial support from other countries. "We are here to discuss with the community, to see how the response is running and if there are challenges to help," he said.
The highly contagious haemorrhagic fever is already present in three eastern DR Congo provinces and in neighbouring Uganda. There have been at least 1,077 suspected cases of Ebola in DR Congo since the outbreak was declared on May 15, including 246 deaths, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said on Thursday. There have been nine confirmed infections in Uganda, including one death. The vast impoverished central African country – whose mineral-rich east has been plagued by three decades of conflict – has limited capacity to conduct laboratory tests to confirm cases.
Uganda closed its border with DR Congo this week and ordered a 21-day quarantine for anyone arriving from that country.Ebola, which spreads through close contact and bodily fluids, has killed more than 15,000 people in Africa over the past 50 years.