Democratic Republic of Congo: A poster describing Ebola prevention measures.Image: keystone
May 21, 2026, 3:46 p.mMay 21, 2026, 3:47 p.m
The Swiss Red Cross is sending a team of experts to the Congo. It is intended to help contain the Ebola virus that has broken out there. The SRK and the federal government released 100,000 francs for the three-month stay.
The ten-person team was recruited by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the Swiss Red Cross (SRK) said on Thursday at the request of the Keystone-SDA news agency. The group is led by Bruno Michon, who is traveling to the Democratic Republic of Congo next week as operations manager. In addition, community health experts and logistics experts were called in. The SRK and the federal government spent 100,000 francs on the operation, it was said.
Several hundred suspected cases
The trust of the population and the strong presence of the Congolese Red Cross are crucial for the effectiveness of the containment measures, Michon explained in the statement. The Congolese Red Cross is supporting affected communities in monitoring and preventing the epidemic. It also participates in the control of infections.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said in Geneva on Wednesday that all chains of infection must be identified in order to assess the extent of the outbreak. So far, several hundred suspected cases have been registered; Almost 150 people are said to have already died. According to the WHO, a vaccine against the current strain of the virus will not be available for a few months at the earliest. (sda)