WHO chief says Ebola response in Congo catching up after outbreak's 'big head start'

The head of the World Health Organization on Wednesday said that efforts to contain the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are gaining ground despite major challenges, including weak contact tracing, community mistrust and the absence of vaccines and therapeutics.

Speaking to reporters in Geneva after visiting the outbreak's epicenter in Ituri province, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he was encouraged by the commitment shown by government officials, health workers, community leaders and aid partners.

"The outbreak had a big head start, and we're still behind, but under the leadership of the government, we are catching up," he said.

According to the WHO, 344 Ebola cases, including 60 deaths, have been confirmed across 24 health zones in three provinces of Congo. Uganda has reported 15 confirmed cases and one death.

Tedros said the number of suspected cases had fallen to 116 from more than 1,000 a week earlier as authorities worked through a backlog of investigations.

WHO's risk assessment remains very high at the national level, high regionally and low globally.

"So far, six people have recovered in DRC and two in Uganda, showing that people can survive Ebola if they have access to care and go to health facilities as soon as they show symptoms," he said.

The agency identified several priorities, including expanding laboratory capacity, strengthening surveillance and improving contact tracing. Currently, only about 45% of identified contacts are being followed up, well below the more than 90% needed to get ahead of the outbreak, according to the WHO chief.

Tedros also warned that blanket travel restrictions imposed by some countries are disrupting supply chains and hampering the response.

"We ask countries that have imposed blanket travel restrictions to lift them," he said, recommending exit screening at airports, ports and border crossings to prevent the exportation of cases and contacts.

He also called for stronger community engagement, saying some community leaders he met still believe "Ebola is not real."

While acknowledging the importance of vaccines and treatments, Tedros said the key to ending the outbreak is "leadership, ownership, partnership and trust."

He stressed that Ebola is only one of the health threats that people in Congo faces, and added: "If the people of Ituri survive Ebola only to die from malaria or malnutrition, or pneumonia or diarrheal disease or HIV or diabetes, we have not really helped them."