1 of 2 | Health workers wearing full personal protective equipment prepare to transport the body of an Ebola victim for a safe burial at Sofepadi Hospital in Bunia, Ituri province, Democratic Republic of the Congo, on Saturday. The World Health Organization recently raised the national risk level of the virus's spread to 'very high' following a surge in cases. Photo by Stringer/EPA
May 27 (UPI) -- The World Health Organization said Wednesday that aid workers are struggling to respond to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo due to ongoing conflict in the region.
At least 220 people are suspected to have died from the Ebola outbreak in the Ituri Province of the DRC. Aid workers are facing challenges traveling in the region to deliver support as fighting continues between the Congolese military and rebel groups.
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the WHO, said the eastern DRC is facing a "catastrophic collision of disease and conflict" as the outbreak outpaces the aid response.
"We cannot build community trust or isolate the sick while bombs are falling," Ghebreyesus said in a statement. "We urge all warring parties to agree to an immediate cease-fire to contain this outbreak. To allow us safe and sustained access for medical teams. We plea to [prioritize] human survival above everything else."
