Attacks may ‘reverse gains’ in Congo’s fight against Ebola, says WHO’s Tedros Adhanom

The director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom says recent attacks on Ebola treatment centres in Congo threaten to reverse the gains that have been made in fighting the epidemic.

Tedros Adhanom, who has just returned from a visit to eastern Congo, noted reports on Thursday of a new attack on an Ebola treatment centre. He vowed that WHO and its partners will strike a balance between protecting patients and health workers, and building trust in communities.

Doctors Without Borders recently described conditions at the epicentre of the outbreak as "toxic," saying that government security forces were complicating the effort. Three Ebola centres have been attacked in addition to Thursday's report. Congo's health ministry says 584 people have died in what is now the second-worst Ebola outbreak in history.

His optimistic assessment Thursday starkly contrasted to one offered last week by the head of Doctors Without Borders, which has had to pull out of two Ebola centres following attacks. Eastern Congo is home to a myriad of armed groups, and the Ebola epidemic has deepened the political and economic grievances of many in the area.

Over 40 percent of the deaths are still taking place in communities rather than at Ebola treatment centres. The bodies of victims are highly contagious, and the aid group said that figure shows community mistrust is still widespread.

Tedros told journalists in Geneva that a much larger crisis has been averted: Ebola has been contained to eastern Congo without spreading across the massive Central African nation or crossing borders into neighbouring countries.

"Despite the incredibly difficult situation the outbreak has been contained in 11 out of the 28 communities that have had cases," Tedros said. "You cannot say it's failing when the outbreak is contracting," he added.

With inputs from agencies.