The World Health Organization (WHO) has called for a six-month humanitarian truce in northeastern DR Congo to let authorities focus on containing the Ebola epidemic.
The appeal came during a conference of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where a WHO official, Dr. Mohamed Yakub Janabi, warned that chronic insecurity in parts of eastern DR Congo continues to prevent health workers from reaching some communities, Radio Okapi reported on August 25.
"When we manage to reach communities, we stop the spread of the virus. When we cannot, the virus continues to spread," he added.
The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo virus and declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on May 17, is the largest ever reported in the country and is expanding faster than any previous Ebola epidemic.
Initially confined to the Mongbwalu health zone in Ituri Province, it has now reached 54 health zones across six provinces—Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uélé, Tshopo, and Bas-Uélé. As of August 12, WHO recorded 4,665 confirmed cases and 2,184 deaths, a case fatality ratio of 46.8 percent, with the highest weekly numbers—579 cases and 304 deaths—reported in early August.
Ituri still accounts for nearly 90 percent of confirmed cases. The humanitarian crisis, compounded by insecurity, displacement, and cross-border movement, continues to hamper response efforts and raise the risk of further spread.
