Kathmandu— The Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, visited Kinshasa on Wednesday to address the escalating Ebola crisis in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The outbreak, now the fastest-spreading and second-most deadly in DRC's history, has prompted urgent calls for increased international support and local community engagement.

Tedros' Urgent Call to Action

During his visit, Tedros emphasized the need for a rapid scale-up of response efforts across all fronts. He met with health and humanitarian partners in Kinshasa to discuss challenges such as reaching affected communities despite insecurity and displacement, ensuring that healthcare workers have adequate training and support, and accelerating access to care and surveillance.

Tedros stressed the importance of involving local communities at every stage of the response. 'We must ensure that communities are at the center of our efforts,' he said. 'Their trust, leadership, and partnership are crucial for stopping this outbreak.'

Outbreak Statistics and Response Efforts

As of Monday, Congo's Ministry of Health reported 3,874 confirmed cases of Ebola, including 1,751 deaths. The majority of these cases are concentrated in the eastern province of Ituri, bordering Uganda. Despite efforts to contain the outbreak, new cases continue to double in some hotspots over the past week.

The United States has pledged an additional $242 million for immediate response and preparedness efforts related to the Ebola crisis. However, challenges persist due to poor infrastructure and ongoing strikes by frontline health workers demanding better pay and working conditions.

With the outbreak showing no signs of slowing down, international organizations and local authorities are racing against time to implement effective measures and secure community cooperation.

(With inputs from DW)

Originally published on abcnews.com.np.