Aid supplies reach heart of Congo's Ebola outbreak as WHO head travels to Kinshasa

Aid workers in Congo rushed supplies to Ituri’s Bunia, the heart of Congo’s Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak, as EU-donated aid including masks, gloves, boots and medications arrived by a white cargo plane. UN-branded forklifts moved crates to trucks, highlighting shortages of equipment faced by frontline health workers who describe treating patients with expired PPE amid a wary population that has attacked health centers over burial rituals. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus traveled to Kinshasa to oversee the international response as the agency declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern to mobilize aid. The United States announced an additional $80 million in support, bringing total U.S. contributions to more than $112 million since the outbreak began, funding PPE, Ebola test kits, airport screening and contact tracing. Africa CDC director-general Dr. Jean Kaseya cautioned that funding pledges have fluctuated, with about $290 million still available after earlier promises. Officials say treatments and possibly vaccines for Bundibugyo could emerge by year’s end as Congo reports more than 1,000 suspected cases and at least 220 deaths since May 15.