WHO chief says Ebola 'can be stopped' as he lands in DR Congo

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus arrived in the Democratic Republic of Congo, declaring the nation's 17th Ebola outbreak "can be stopped" even as it claims over 200 lives amidst escalating conflict. His visit to the eastern Ituri province, the epicenter, underscores the dual crisis facing the nation: a deadly Bundibugyo strain of Ebola for which no vaccine currently exists, and relentless violence from the M23 insurgency, which severely hampers containment efforts. This outbreak's severity is compounded by its location in Ituri, a mineral-rich region destabilized by decades of armed conflict, most recently by the Rwanda-backed M23 insurgency. The ongoing fighting has displaced populations and created perilous conditions for health workers, making contact tracing and safe burials exceptionally challenging. Meanwhile, Africa CDC chief Jean Kaseya has ambitiously pledged a Bundibugyo vaccine by year-end 2026, marking a significant continental push against a strain previously lacking targeted medical countermeasures. Tedros's direct appeal for a ceasefire from all warring factions is critical, aiming to create safe corridors for humanitarian aid, with UNICEF and WHO already delivering substantial supplies to Bunia, Ituri's capital. The world will be watching whether this high-level intervention can galvanize both a coordinated health response and a de-escalation of hostilities, as the race to develop a Bundibugyo vaccine runs parallel to the urgent need for peace to save lives on the ground.