World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus arrived in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Thursday to confront a rapidly spreading Ebola outbreak [1, 2].
The visit comes as the virus spreads faster than the current global capacity to contain it, threatening a wider public health crisis in the region [2].
Tedros traveled to the eastern portion of the country, which serves as the epicenter of the current outbreak [1, 2]. The Director-General said the speed of the transmission and the scale of the threat to the population were urgent.
"The outbreak is spreading rapidly and now poses a 'very high' risk at the national level," Tedros said [2].
He said the situation had reached a critical point where the international community's reaction was lagging behind the virus's movement. "I am on my way to the Democratic Republic of Congo where an Ebola outbreak is outpacing the world's ability to respond," he said [2].
Despite the strain on resources and the speed of the contagion, the WHO chief said he remained determined regarding the eventual containment of the disease. He said the organization and its partners would work to stabilize the region.
"We will overcome this outbreak," Tedros said [1].
“The outbreak is spreading rapidly and now poses a 'very high' risk at the national level.”
The arrival of the WHO Director-General signals that the Ebola outbreak in the DRC has escalated beyond the management capabilities of local health authorities. By stating that the virus is outpacing the global response, the WHO is likely signaling a need for immediate increases in international funding, medical personnel, and vaccine distribution to prevent the outbreak from becoming a regional pandemic.
