WHO endorses appointment of Ebola coordinator in DRC as it battles outbreak
Geneva, June 28
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, on Saturday signed a joint letter to endorse the appointment of Julien Harneis as a Senior Ebola Coordinator in Kinshasa.
WHO took the decision for closer coordination along the UN system after seeing the complexity during the Ebola outbreak.
In a post on X, Ghebreyesus said, "The complexity of Ebola response in DRC demands close coordination across UN system and humanitarian partners. Together with UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, I signed a joint letter to endorse the appointment of Julien Harneis as a Senior Ebola Coordinator in Kinshasa."
Previously on June 27, he had said that war makes fighting Ebola so much harder.
In a post on X, he said, "True. War makes fighting Ebola so much harder, blocking access, scattering contacts, and driving people into hiding out of fear and mistrust. Yet responders show up every day, risking their lives to both the virus and the violence. They need our continued support."
Meanwhile, as Ebola continues to spread across eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the UN food agency is expanding assistance and logistical support, warning that hunger could undermine efforts to contain the outbreak, UN said in a statement.
The World Food Programme (WFP) is assisting more than 1.2 million people with nutrition support and humanitarian logistics as the virus has reached 34 health zones across Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu, where conflict, displacement and severe hunger have left millions vulnerable.
Thirty of the affected health zones are experiencing crisis levels of hunger or worse.
Since late May, the agency has provided more than 36,000 hot meals to patients, caregivers and people under observation in Ebola treatment centres while food rations have reached quarantined communities to help families comply with public health measures.
The agency is also transporting medical supplies and humanitarian workers to outbreak hotspots, but warns that insecurity and funding shortfalls continue to threaten the response.
WFP is seeking USD 72 million over the next six months to sustain food assistance, air services and logistics operations as the Ebola outbreak continues to grow.
— ANI
Reader Comments
The UN is doing commendable work but $72 million is a lot for just six months. I hope donor countries step up quickly, especially given the global neglect of African health emergencies. We saw how quickly Covid spread - Ebola can too if not contained urgently.
War makes everything harder - basic public health becomes impossible when people are fleeing violence. The fact that responders risk their lives daily is humbling. But I worry about the long-term sustainability of this approach in active conflict zones.
As an Indian, I recall how our health workers faced challenges during Nipah in Kerala - but DRC has it much worse with active conflict. The food-virus link is crucial - malnourished populations are more vulnerable. WFP doing 36,000 hot meals is impressive logistics. 🇮🇳🍛
It's concerning that Ebola has reached 34 health zones. The food assistance and logistics are necessary but what about community engagement? People hiding out of fear and mistrust needs addressing through local leaders and transparent communication. That lesson we learned from polio campaigns.
The coordination between WHO, OCHA and WFP is good but I wish there were more concrete timelines for containment. Also, the international community needs to address root causes - conflict and poverty - not just symptom management. Otherwise we'll keep chasing outbreaks forever.
V We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.