The head of the World Health Organization met with Félix Tshisekedi on Monday to discuss the Democratic Republic of the Congo's Ebola outbreak, as an aid agency warned the epidemic was likely far larger than official figures suggest. The government said confirmed Ebola cases had risen to 321.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus arrived in Congo last week and called for greater international support to halt the spread of the disease. He first travelled from the capital, Kinshasa, to Ituri Province, where the first cases were confirmed.
The outbreak is already the third largest on record and is believed to have persisted undetected for several weeks, according to health officials. They say they are now behind the curve and struggling to bring it under control.
Tedros said he had seen some encouraging signs – including five certified recoveries – but also highlighted the need to increase testing and treatment capacity and strengthen trust in healthcare workers.
After flying back to Kinshasa, Tedros met President Felix Tshisekedi at his residence.
"This Ebola outbreak can be stopped when communities take ownership of the response and with strong government leadership," he said after the meeting. "We need to strengthen the capacity of health systems in the affected areas."
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Call for help
The WHO also appealed to the international community for greater solidarity and resources. "There have been promises, but they need to materialise now," a WHO source said.
The global health organisation, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), pledged approximately $60 million to Moderna and two other groups to accelerate the development of vaccines against the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola.
The company told Reuters that vaccines against the strain could be ready for clinical trials within a few months.
China also announced on Monday that it would send a team of medical specialists to Congo to assist with the outbreak.
Tedros left Kinshasa on Monday evening to return to Geneva, according to his official programme.
Upgrading the response
RFI's correspondent in Kinshasa reported that some Congolese officials had initially questioned the WHO's communications strategy, describing it as "catastrophising".
Authorities sought to reassure the public, emphasising that the country has extensive experience, having already faced 17 Ebola outbreaks.
However, a member of the ministerial delegation sent to Bunia alongside the WHO team reported positive discussions.
Some encouraging developments also helped ease tensions, including the recovery of several patients and the opening of an Ebola treatment centre in Bunia by Doctors Without Borders (MSF) on Sunday.
The WHO's repeated calls for travel restrictions to be lifted have also been well received in Kinshasa.
In a joint statement issued on Sunday night, the WHO and the Congolese government acknowledged that it was "a challenging time" and said they were working to improve surveillance, testing and patient care.
"Persistent challenges include early detection and isolation of cases, contact tracing, safe and dignified burials, robust infection prevention and control in health facilities, and strong community awareness," the statement said.
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Larger figures?
The WHO said on Friday that there were 906 suspected Ebola cases in Congo, including 223 suspected deaths under investigation. The Congolese government said late on Sunday that the number of confirmed cases had risen to 282, with 42 deaths, after 19 new positive test results were recorded, before confirming on Monday that cases had increased further to 321.
According to data released by the communications ministry, there have been at least 264 confirmed cases in Ituri Province alone, as well as 15 in North Kivu Province and three in South Kivu Province.
Ebola cases have also been confirmed in neighbouring Uganda.
However, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) warned on Monday that the outbreak was likely significantly larger and more advanced than official figures suggest.
The aid agency said in a statement that the virus may have been spreading for up to three months before the first official cases were detected in mid-May. With only 20 per cent of contacts currently being traced, it said health authorities are struggling to identify and isolate new chains of transmission.
"When four out of five contacts are not being traced, it becomes incredibly difficult to contain the outbreak or even understand its true scale," said Rachel Howard, IRC's senior technical emergency health adviser.
While Congolese officials are highly experienced in responding to Ebola outbreaks, they have little experience with the Bundibugyo strain of the virus, which is responsible for the current outbreak and for which there is no approved vaccine, the NGO added.
(with Reuters)
