UN relief chief urges faster global response to Ebola in DRC

The United Nations Secretary‑General’s Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, urged the international community to accelerate its response to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on Thursday. Fletcher said that the current pace of containment efforts was insufficient to curb the spread of the virus, which has already infected hundreds of people in the eastern provinces of North Kivu and Ituri.

The outbreak, which began in early 2023, has prompted a coordinated effort by the World Health Organization, the Congolese Ministry of Health and several international partners to deploy vaccination teams, establish treatment centers and conduct contact tracing. Despite these measures, new cases continue to emerge, raising concerns that the virus could spread beyond the affected districts. Fletcher called for increased funding, faster deployment of medical supplies, and expanded community engagement to strengthen surveillance and response capacity.

In closing, Fletcher emphasized that timely action is critical to prevent the outbreak from escalating. He urged donor nations and humanitarian agencies to intensify support for the DRC’s health system and to ensure that resources reach the most vulnerable communities as quickly as possible.