The Director-General of the World Health Organisation, Tedros Ghebreyesus, visited Bunia, the epicentre of Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, amid escalating cases of the deadly virus.

The visit came as the virus kept spreading faster than the response could contain, despite better-organised health facilities and arrival new aid.

Speaking during a press conference on Sunday, Mr Ghebreyesus said that there was no licenced treatment or vaccine for the Ebola outbreak caused by Bundibugyo virus.

“This outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo virus for which no licenced vaccine or treatment currently exists,” the WHO boss stated.

Mr Ghebreyesus, however, expressed hope that the deadly virus could be curtailed, stressing the need for seeking early medical care.

“But this is not without hope. Ebola caused by Bundibugyo virus can be survived with good medical care and some people have already recovered. Seeking care early lessens rare effect,” he added.

According to him, the best way to address the virus is to provide all the necessary support to fight the disease at its epicentre and to continue offering every assistance needed.

Calling on communities to ​play a central role in fighting the disease, Mr Ghebreyesus notd that four people had recovered from the virus and discharged.

He noted that efforts were ongoing to work on vaccines and treatments to support affected communities.

Bunia, the capital of Ituri Province, is the epicentre of the current outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus already present in three of the Congo’s eastern provinces.

Since its outbreak was declared on May 15, 1,077 suspected cases, including 246 deaths, had been recorded, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.