Ebola needs swift response to prevent catastrophe, says DR Congo governor

The military governor of the Democratic Republic of Congo's Ituri province, the epicentre of the current Ebola outbreak, has likened the struggle to contain the spread of the virus to a "war" for which they are lacking resources to fight.

"People in affected areas are not receiving enough food," Johnny Luboya Nkashama told French broadcaster RFI, adding that "other diseases" and "overcrowding" are also issues.

He called for a "swift response", including strengthening the capacity of staff to prevent Ituri "from descending into catastrophe".

Officials say there are more than 900 suspected cases of Ebola, and 223 suspected deaths, since the outbreak was declared on 15 May.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said the disease may be spreading faster than originally thought and has declared a public health emergency of international concern.

On Monday, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who is due to travel to DR Congo, has said the Ebola outbreak is outpacing urgent efforts to scale up a response adding that responders were "playing catch-up".

Ebola has also been reported in DR Congo's North and South Kivu provinces, as well as in neighbouring Uganda, where there have been seven confirmed cases.

Elaborating on what his province needs, Kashama explained "qualified personnel" should be deployed as soon as possible and "secure treatment centres" established.

Angry relatives trying to claim the bodies of loved ones who had reportedly died of Ebola have targeted two treatment centres.

"Our existing resources were dedicated to the war, and this second war that is now upon us demands even more," he said on RFI.

What is Ebola and why is stopping the latest outbreak so difficult?

Ituri has been under military rule since 2021, when the civilian authority was replaced by a military general in an attempt to neutralise dozens of armed groups which have operated in the area for many years. These include the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), affiliated to the Islamic State group.

"And lastly, we need to mobilise financial resources - they must be made available," the governor said. "The more time we lose, the closer we come to disaster."

On Saturday, the head of Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), met with health ministers from DR Congo and Uganda and South Sudan to finalise their cross-border co-ordination in response to the outbreak.

Africa CDC director-general Dr Jean Kaseya said they also agreed on a $319m (£236m) budget to stop the outbreak from spreading.

He told BBC World Service's Newsday on Monday, that 10% of the money had been secured from the affected countries.

On the same day, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa pledged an initial $5m to support the plan.

Kaseya added that African businessmen will be meeting later this week to "raise additional funds", while international partners were also "committing funds".

Africa CDC has warned that other countries on the continent - namely Angola, Burundi, the Central African Republic, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Zambia - were at risk from an outbreak.

This outbreak is the 17th to have emerged in DR Congo since Ebola was discovered in 1976.

It is only the third worldwide of the rare Bundibugyo species of Ebola, which has not been seen in over a decade.

There are currently no vaccines or medications that target Bundibugyo, but vaccines are currently in development.

Last week, the WHO said it could take up to nine months for a vaccine to be ready.

'Ebola has tortured us': Fear grips eastern DR Congo as deadly virus spreads

UK scientists developing Ebola vaccine that could be ready for trials in months

'Speed, money and compassion' - lessons from an Ebola survivor and other experts

Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent.

Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica , on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica

Focus on Africa

This Is Africa