WHO chief says Ebola outbreak is outpacing response as aid workers strike over pay
The world's fastest-growing Ebola outbreak is spreading faster than efforts to fight it, the head of the World Health Organization said on Wednesday during a visit to Congo where some health workers are striking over a lack of pay.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, head of the World Health Organization, stated that the world's fastest-growing Ebola outbreak is spreading faster than the efforts to combat it, during a visit to Congo where health workers are on strike over pay. The outbreak, which began in mid-May, has seen new cases doubling in some hotspots and has resulted in 3,874 confirmed cases and 1,751 deaths as of Monday.
The outbreak is the second-largest on record, behind the 2014-2016 West Africa outbreak that recorded over 28,000 cases and more than 11,000 deaths. The cause of the current outbreak is the Bundibugyo virus, which has no approved treatment or vaccine. Health workers are struggling to detect cases in time as contact tracing has proven ineffective, with 60% to 70% of new cases coming outside of those being monitored.
Despite an additional $242 million in funding from the U.S. Department of State, the response is still not reaching communities quickly enough to break transmission chains.
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- WHO calls for 'intensified' response as DR Congo Ebola cases near 4,000 france24.com
- DR Congo Ebola health workers protest unpaid wages as deaths surpass 1,800 aljazeera.com
- WHO chief urges stronger Ebola response in DR Congo visit freemalaysiatoday.com
