Ebola spreading rapidly — UN sounds the alarm

The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is spreading rapidly. Nearly 2,500 deaths have been recorded in the country, with half of them reportedly occurring in the past 20 days.

TodayPress TV reports that Julien Harneis, the UN’s senior Ebola coordinator, said the outbreak is expanding “exponentially.”

According to him, the disease has already spread across an area larger than France.

Harneis stressed that additional resources are needed to contain the outbreak. He said the affected region has been experiencing armed conflict for nearly 30 years and that the humanitarian situation is extremely difficult.

World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also said that the situation is a matter of international concern.

The WHO chief also met with Central African Republic President Faustin-Archange Touadéra to discuss efforts to combat the outbreak. The sides stressed the importance of strengthening preparedness in neighboring countries and enhancing cross-border cooperation.

Turkan Iskandarli