The World Health Organisation has called for an immediate ceasefire in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to help tackle the Ebola outbreak.
WHO Director General, Tedros Ghebreyesus made the call on Thursday May 28 in his message to the people of DRC posted on the agency’s website.
The WHO chief urged people to come forward as soon as there’s a sign of illness, as though there is no cure for the virus, early supportive care in the treatment centers could make a real difference.
While he acknowledged that this was the 17th Ebola outbreak in DRC, he also cautioned that the current outbreak was the most complex in history, as it unfolded in the middle of an armed conflict.
He noted that communities had been displaced, supply routes disrupted, and health workers operating under constant threat. He said people were fleeing violence while also trying to protect themselves and their families from a deadly disease.
The WHO Chief, in closing, paid tributes to the health workers of Ituri, noting that they were seen, and they were not alone.
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