GENEVA: The countries neighboring the Democratic Republic of Congo are at high risk from Ebola and should act immediately to counter the virus, the head of the World Health Organization said on Monday.
“Countries bordering DRC are at especially high risk and should take immediate action,” said WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, adding that he would travel on Tuesday to the DRC, the epicenter of the current outbreak of the deadly disease.
He said that the fast-moving Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda was outpacing response efforts, giving the latest number of suspected deaths as 220.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. (AFP)
Addressing an online meeting of the African Union about the outbreak, the director general said a delay in detecting Ebola cases meant responders were now “playing catch-up” and the epidemic was likely to get worse before it gets better.
