The director general of the World Health Organization, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has expressed deep concern about the scale and the speed of the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

He said there had been at least 500 suspected cases of Ebola and 130 suspected deaths in DRC since the new outbreak began.

Thirty cases had been confirmed in DRC’s north-eastern province of Ituri, and one death and one case had been confirmed in Kampala, Uganda, he added.

Ghana’s Minister for Health, Hon. Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, while defining the nature of the threat, assured the public of the country’s readiness.

The health ministry further advised the public to adopt routine preventative habits, such as washing hands regularly with soap under running water, utilizing alcohol-based hand sanitizers, and avoiding direct contact with the bodily fluids of anyone exhibiting illness.

Anyone showing symptoms such as fever, severe headache, vomiting, diarrhea, or unexplained bleeding should to the nearest health facility.