Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. The head of the World Health Organization (WHO), has warned that the ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo is complicating the response to the Ebola outbreak. According to Tedros. The east of the country is at the center of a ‘catastrophic collision of disease and conflict,’ with the outbreak in Ituri province outpacing the response efforts. There have been 220 suspected deaths since the outbreak was declared.

Conflict and Aid Cuts Weaken Health System

In a statement posted on X, Tedros said the WHO ‘cannot build community trust or isolate the sick while bombs are falling.’ He is scheduled to arrive in DR Congo on Wednesday to lead efforts to contain the virus. Aid workers have been struggling due to poor road conditions, conflict, and mass displacement, which have weakened the health system. International aid cuts have also hindered response efforts.

Ituri, where most of the cases have been reported, has been under military rule since 2021, when the civilian authority was replaced by a military general in an attempt to neutralize armed groups. Tedros said stopping transmission in the region ‘depends entirely on humanitarian access.’ Ongoing clashes are driving mass displacement, pushing exposed contacts into overcrowded camps and severing critical containment corridors.

Frontline Workers Face Difficulties

Frontline workers are risking everything, while attacks on health facilities make tracking cases and their contacts nearly impossible. Tedros called on all parties to agree to an immediate ceasefire to allow medical teams safe access. Concerns over the possible spread of the Ebola outbreak have led to stricter travel restrictions in several countries.

Canada has announced a temporary 90-day entry ban on residents from DR Congo and neighboring Uganda and South Sudan. The Bahamas also imposed strict rules, meaning foreign nationals from those countries face quarantine or isolation measures. Last week, the US banned non-citizens who had traveled to the three places from entering.

Congolese health authorities say around 1,000 people are currently showing symptoms consistent with Ebola. The DR Congo country director for the medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) told the BBC it will take several weeks to get proper infrastructure in place to contain the outbreak. This outbreak involves a rare species of Ebola known as Bundibugyo, for which there are no vaccines or medicines.

Challenges in Testing and Tracking

DR Congo health authorities have been struggling to confirm cases of the 220 deaths. Only 17 people so far have been confirmed by lab tests as having died from the disease. Medics are also facing a race against time to trace 3,600 people identified as contacts of the infected group. Some 2,000 tests have been distributed, with a further 4,000 due to be sent out. Experimental treatments, including an antibody developed in the US, could also be introduced soon.

Ewald Stals, MSF director in DR Congo, said the medical charity and other organizations are working to get medical supplies and workers into the epicenter of the crisis. However, insecurity and poor transport links in Ituri province make it difficult. ‘Slowly but surely, there is, of course, some activity going on, but overall, we’re still far behind having a control on the situation,’ he told the BBC.