{"id":342163,"date":"2026-05-28T22:26:19","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T16:56:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/?p=342163"},"modified":"2026-05-28T22:26:19","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T16:56:19","slug":"who-head-calls-for-ceasefire-in-congo-to-assist-tackle-ebola-outbreak-national","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/2026\/05\/28\/who-head-calls-for-ceasefire-in-congo-to-assist-tackle-ebola-outbreak-national\/","title":{"rendered":"WHO head calls for ceasefire in Congo to assist tackle Ebola outbreak – National"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The pinnacle of the World Health Organization has called for an instantaneous ceasefire within the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to assist tackle the Ebola outbreak.<\/p>\n

In an open letter posted on X<\/a>, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus pledged to spare no effort to assist contain the deadly outbreak, with the variety of suspected Ebola cases in eastern Congo nearing 1,000 and a minimum of 220 suspected deaths.<\/p>\n

Ghebreyesus told the country that the WHO is \u201cworking closely with all relevant partners to make sure that the response can reach every community that needs it, and that nobody is left behind due to where they live or what is going on around them.\u201d<\/p>\n

The director-general of the WHO, who’s headed to Congo on Thursday, noted that the safety situation in eastern Congo stays very difficult.<\/p>\n

\u201cConflict and displacement make every thing harder, including reaching individuals who need care and keeping medical experts secure. I would like to be honest: that is one in every of our biggest challenges,\u201d he wrote. \u201cWe cannot do that work if those that try to assist are prevented from doing so or put in peril.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The WHO head said that’s the reason he’s making a direct appeal to all warring parties within the Ituri region.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlease, declare a ceasefire. Even briefly. Even simply enough to let medical experts through. Persons are dying from Ebola who would not have to die. Children are sick. Families are suffering. No cause, no conflict, no grievance is price condemning innocent people to death from a preventable disease,\u201d Ghebreyesus wrote.<\/p>\n

\u201cA ceasefire, even a brief one, would save lives. I urge you, I implore you: give us the space to assist the individuals who need it most.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ghebreyesus said he’s aware of anger and mistrust in some communities.<\/p>\n

\u201cI must be honest with you about something essential. Most previous Ebola outbreaks in DRC were attributable to a virus called Ebola Zaire, for which now we have vaccines and coverings,\u201d he continued. \u201cThis outbreak is attributable to a distinct virus called Ebola Bundibugyo. There are currently no approved vaccines or treatments for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Ghebreyesus said that the situation is \u201cserious\u201d and the people of the DRC \u201cshould hear that plainly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I also want you to know this: while there are not any specific treatments for Bundibugyo, there’s much we are able to do together to forestall the spread of this virus and save lives. Early supportive care in our treatment centers could make an actual difference. In case you or someone falls in poor health, please don’t wait,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

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To the people of DRC, especially to the people of Ituri<\/p>\n

Jambo kwenu wakahaji wa Ituri<\/p>\n

Mbote na bino, bato ya Ituri<\/p>\n

My name is Tedros, and I’m the Director-General of the World Health Organization (@WHO<\/a>). But today, I’m not writing to you as an official. I’m writing to you\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/RoXCWy50fk<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) May 28, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

Ghebreyesus told\u00a0the country that he’s \u201csomeone who knows your region, who has walked your streets, and who cares deeply about what happens to you and your families.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI would like you to know that you simply usually are not alone. Ebola will not be recent to me personally. From 2018 to 2020, I got here fourteen times to North Kivu, the epicentre of the outbreak at the moment,\u201d he wrote on Thursday.<\/p>\n

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Ghebreyesus said that he was \u201calongside families who had lost their family members.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI met medical experts risking their lives every single day. I met community leaders, traditional healers, religious leaders and business leaders who refused to desert their people,\u201d he continued. \u201cI saw men and ladies show extraordinary courage in essentially the most difficult of circumstances. The people there, who saw me coming back many times, wanted to provide me a reputation that belonged to their community.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The Ebola outbreak from 2018 to 2020 was \u201cprobably the most complex in history,\u201d in line with Ghebreyesus.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt didn’t unfold in a stable, peaceful environment. It happened in the midst of armed conflict, with communities displaced, supply routes disrupted, and medical experts operating under constant threat,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n

The WHO head said that this time the Ebola outbreak is hitting the Ituri province the toughest.<\/p>\n

\u201cGreater than 90% of all cases have been reported in Ituri province, with a small variety of cases also reported in North Kivu and South Kivu. I know the way frightening that’s, and I do know that the people of Ituri are bearing a burden that will not be easy to hold,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do know that lots of you’re exhausted. You’re already carrying a lot: malaria, hunger, insecurity, and the every day struggle to maintain your families secure. And now Ebola. It will not be fair, and I is not going to pretend otherwise.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Ghebreyesus told the people of Ituri that they’ve a \u201cvital role to play\u201d in the present outbreak.<\/p>\n

\u201cCheck with your pals and your families. Share what about Ebola. Help break the fear and the silence that enables this virus to spread. Your voice carries further than , and we’d like it now greater than ever,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n

Ghebreyesus also told the medical experts of Ituri that they usually are not alone.<\/p>\n

\u201cDaily you go to work knowing the risks, and also you go anyway. You do it in your patients, in your communities, in your families. You’re the backbone of this response. Without you, none of this is feasible,\u201d he continued. \u201cI do know the conditions are hard. I do know the resources are sometimes not enough. I do know that fear and exhaustion are real.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPlease know that WHO stands with you, that we’re working to get you the support you would like, and that your courage and dedication are known and deeply valued far beyond the borders of this province.\u201d<\/p>\n

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That is the second time in two days that Ghebreyesus has asked for a ceasefire within the DRC.<\/p>\n

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On Wednesday, the WHO head said that the DRC faces<\/a> a \u201ccatastrophic collision of disease and conflict within the Ebola outbreak in Ituri province outpacing the response.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cStopping this Ebola transmission depends entirely on humanitarian access. Yet ongoing clashes are driving mass displacement, pushing exposed contacts into overcrowded camps and severing critical containment corridors. Frontline staff are risking every thing, while attacks on health facilities make tracking cases and their contacts nearly inconceivable,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n

Ghebreyesus added that community trust can’t be built \u201cwhile bombs are falling.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe urge all warring parties to comply with an instantaneous ceasefire to contain this outbreak. To permit us secure and sustained access for medical teams. We plea to prioritise human survival above every thing else,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n

In an try to \u201cswiftly contain the outbreak,\u201d Ghebreyesus announced Thursday<\/a> that the WHO is scaling up Ebola diagnostic capacities within the DRC and strengthening the laboratory network to deliver real-time data, which is able to help to rapidly discover confirmed cases.<\/p>\n

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In partnership with @inrb_kinshasa<\/a>, we’re scaling up #Ebola<\/a> diagnostic capacities within the #DRC<\/a>, and strengthening the laboratory network to deliver real-time data, rapidly discover confirmed cases, save their lives and swiftly contain the outbreak. pic.twitter.com\/WKhaSmAe4t<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) May 28, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

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\n\t\t\t\tUganda closes its border with Congo\t\t\t<\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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