The World Health Organisation's director-general landed in the Democratic Republic of Congo's outbreak zone today. But the virus is spreading faster than the diplomats. UK aid agencies are scrambling. The Department for International Development is on standby. This is a crisis that tests Whitehall's crisis management machine.
Sources tell me the WHO chief's visit is a double-edged sword. It galvanises international attention. But it also highlights the scale of failure. The outbreak began in August. It has now infected over 300 people, killing more than half. The epicentre, North Kivu, is a war zone. Militias roam the countryside. Health workers are attacked. Containment is a fantasy.
UK aid agencies are mobilising. Oxfam is deploying water and sanitation teams. Save the Children is setting up treatment centres. But they face logistical nightmares. Roads are impassable. Communication lines are down. And the virus does not wait for diplomacy.
A DFID insider told me: 'We are watching the data. If it hits the urban centres, we go to full emergency footing.'
But the real battle is political. The Congolese government is suspicious of foreign intervention. They remember the colonial past. WHO officials are treading carefully. UK officials are working behind the scenes. The fear is that the outbreak becomes a political football.
Meanwhile, the death toll rises. Families are burying their dead in secret. Health workers are dying. The virus is spreading through body fluids. There is no vaccine. There is no cure. Only isolation and hope.
What happens next depends on the next 48 hours. If the WHO chief's visit secures local cooperation, progress is possible. If not, we may see a humanitarian catastrophe. UK aid agencies are preparing for the worst. They have stockpiles ready. They have staff on standby. But they need access.
The question is: will the Congolese government let them in?
This is a test for the UK's aid strategy. Theresa May's government has promised to spend 0.7% of national income on aid. But this crisis shows the limits of money. Without security, without trust, aid fails. And the virus wins.
I am Eleanor Rigby. And that is the game inside the Palace of Westminster. The real game is being played in the jungles of Congo. And so far, we are losing.
