The head of the World Health Organization urged local communities on Saturday to take a leading role in battling Congo’s current Ebola crisis.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus traveled to the Democratic Republic of Congo on Thursday to help organize efforts against the Ebola emergency, which had reached 1,028 suspected cases as of Friday, Congolese officials reported.
“The communities understand the problems better and they know the solution as well,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said to media representatives following his arrival in Bunia, Ituri province’s capital city and a center of the current Ebola crisis.
“Yes, the international community is involved, under the leadership of the government of DRC. At the same time, community ownership is important. That’s why we are here to discuss with the community to see how the response is running and, if there are challenges, to help,” Tedros said.
Upon reaching Congo’s capital city Kinshasa on Thursday, Tedros appealed for increased global assistance for combating Ebola, noting the WHO had received just one-third of its required funding.
French humanitarian organization Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) issued a warning Saturday that the current Ebola emergency — the 17th occurrence since 1976 — was advancing at an unparalleled rate.
“Never before has an Ebola outbreak recorded so many cases so soon after its declaration,” Alan Gonzalez, MSF deputy director of operations, said in a statement.
The quantity of specialized medical organizations working on-site to address the crisis, along with the assistance level being offered to combat the emergency, remains significantly below what is necessary, Gonzalez stated.
