ADDIS ABABA, July 11 (Xinhua) -- Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) Director-General Jean Kaseya and World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus are set to visit the epicenter of the ongoing Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) next week, as part of a joint mission aimed at accelerating outbreak response.
This came after a meeting between heads of the two organizations in Geneva, Switzerland, where discussions focused on the continued Bundibugyo Ebola virus outbreak in the DRC and Uganda, as well as the "urgent action required on the ground," Kaseya said Saturday in a statement issued on X, formerly Twitter.
"We agreed to travel together to Bunia (the capital of eastern DRC's Ituri Province and the epicenter of the outbreak) on July 18 and 19 to meet national authorities, frontline health workers, affected communities, and response partners," the Africa CDC chief said.
"This joint mission will help strengthen coordination, accelerate the response, and mobilize the support needed to stop transmission and protect lives," he added.
In a recent interview with Xinhua, Kaseya called for enhanced international solidarity in Africa's fight against the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak, emphasizing that response efforts require faster diagnosis, more rigorous contact tracing, expanded treatment and isolation capacity, and increased supplies.
"Our priority is clear: find cases earlier, test faster, isolate safely, care for patients, protect health workers, and work closely with communities. In an Ebola outbreak, speed saves lives," Kaseya said. ■