Kinshasa, May 30 (SANA) WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called on local communities in Ebola outbreak areas to play a central role in disease containment efforts, emphasizing that residents are best positioned to understand the challenges and identify solutions.
Reuters quoted Tedros as saying during his visit to Bunia on Saturday, the epicenter of the outbreak in Ituri Province of the Democratic Republic of Congo, that “empowering local communities is a critical factor, alongside international community support under the leadership of the government in Kinshasa.”
Tedros arrived in the DRC last Thursday to coordinate the health response, as authorities announced 1,028 suspected cases registered until Friday.
International support needed
During his stop in Kinshasa, Tedros stressed the need for more international funding, noting that the organization has received only one-third of the amount required to confront the outbreak.
In the same context, Doctors Without Borders warned that the disease is spreading at an unprecedented pace, with the current outbreak being the 17th since 1976.
Alan Gonzalez, the organization’s Deputy Operations Director, said the number of cases recorded in a short period is unprecedented, confirming that the number of specialized organizations and field support remains far below the level of need.
Two days ago, Uganda announced the temporary closure of its border with the DRC as a preventive measure to limit the spread of the Ebola virus, while Canada and the Bahamas announced a temporary ban on entry for residents from the DRC, Uganda, and South Sudan starting last Wednesday amid the virus outbreak.
KhA
