Ebola epidemic threatens all of Africa – WHO
The head of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Ghebreyesus, has announced that the Ebola epidemic is threatening the whole of Africa.
Ebola epidemic threatens the whole of Africa – WHO
"Until all chains of transmission are identified and broken, the epidemic will continue and remain a threat to Congo, its neighbors, and the entire region," said the head of the WHO.
According to him, the majority of deaths have been recorded among people who were not considered to have been in contact with the disease.
"This means there are chains of transmission unknown to us. Many of those who died are still being buried using unsafe methods, which is causing the infection to spread further," Tedros Ghebreyesus noted.
He called on the international community to increase and accelerate funding for the Ebola response plan developed by the Congolese government, which requires $1.3 billion.
This epidemic, caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, has surpassed the 2018–2020 epidemic, becoming the largest and deadliest in Congo's history. It now ranks second only to the 2014–2016 West Africa epidemic, which infected nearly 30,000 people and caused more than 11,000 deaths in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.
The WHO plans to start clinical trials on the efficacy of potential vaccines in October-November, while trials on treatment methods are already underway.
In May, the WHO declared the outbreak in the DRC and Uganda a public health emergency of international concern. The organization stated that genetic analysis (sequencing) showed the epidemic had started several months earlier, in January-February.