By Kadiri Abbdulrahman
Abuja – UN hosted a high-level meeting in Geneva to take stock of coordinated response
and galvanize further support for Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for the government-led effort to defeat Ebola,
World Health Organisation (WHO) says.
The world body said on its official website, accessed by News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday, that the first
case of Ebola was confirmed in Goma, a city of about one million people.
The organisation stated that almost 3,000 health workers had so far been vaccinated against the disease in Goma.
It noted that “more than 1,650 people have died in the current outbreak, while about 12 new cases are reported every day.
“With the outbreak still confined to the provinces of North Kivu and Ituri, the response is at a critical juncture.
“WHO assesses the risk of spread to neighbouring provinces and countries as very high.”
DRC’s Minister of Health, Dr Oly Ilunga, said that the current outbreak, which was the 10th in the country,
mainly affected environments with developmental challenges.
Ilunga added that “the 10th outbreak of Ebola is a public health crisis, taking place in an environment characterised
by development challenges and deficiencies in health system.”
The country’s Minister for Solidarity and Humanitarian Action, Mr Bernard Sango, however,
assured that in spite of challenging terrains, DRC was determined to eradicate Ebola.
He said “the government acknowledges how difficult it has been to get ahead of this outbreak of Ebola in our country.
“The response is being carried out in a very complex environment, but with support from our friends in the international
community, the Congolese are committed to bringing down the number of cases to zero.”
WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, said that the organisation was equipped with better public health tools,
including effective vaccines, to respond to the outbreak.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that since January, there have been 198 Ebola attacks in DRC, resulting in seven
deaths and left 58 healthcare workers and patients injured.