The Democratic Republic of Congo have called off their pre-World Cup training camp in the capital Kinshasa because of the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the eastern region of the country.
Preparations for the tournament have now been relocated to Belgium, as health authorities continue to battle the deadly virus, which is believed to have killed more than 130 people.
WHO Declares Public Health Emergency
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has described the situation as a “public health emergency of international concern”, although it noted that the outbreak has not yet reached pandemic levels.
Jerry Kalemo, spokesperson for the DR Congo national team, confirmed that the team’s planned friendly matches in Europe would still go ahead as scheduled. This is the country’s first World Cup appearance since 1974.
DR Congo are set to face Denmark in Belgium on June 3, followed by a match against Chile in Spain on June 9. Their World Cup campaign begins on June 17 against Portugal in Houston, United States.
Travel Restrictions Prompt Camp Cancellation
A spokesperson for the team told Reuters that the Kinshasa training camp was scrapped because of travel restrictions imposed by the United States in response to the outbreak. The US public health agency has prohibited non-American citizens from entering the country if they have been in DR Congo, Uganda or South Sudan within the previous 21 days.
All DR Congo players and their French coach, Sébastien Desabre, are based outside the country, so they are not expected to be affected by the restrictions following the cancellation of the camp. Kalemo also informed the Associated Press that some team staff members based in DR Congo left the country on Wednesday to beat the 21-day deadline.
High-Profile Camp Attracts Attention
The planned camp in Kinshasa was expected to draw huge crowds of supporters, as well as President Felix Tshisekedi. Kinshasa is about 1,800 kilometres from Ituri province, the epicentre of the outbreak, and no cases have been reported in the capital so far.
Ebola Death Toll Rises
On Wednesday, the WHO reported that 139 people were believed to have died from around 600 suspected cases. However, Congolese health minister Samuel Roger Kamba told state broadcaster RTNC TV that authorities had recorded 159 deaths. The outbreak has been linked to the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which there is currently no approved vaccine. The WHO estimated that a vaccine could take up to nine months to prepare.
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