Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo – The latest Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo is unfolding against the backdrop of one of the world’s most complex humanitarian crises.

Conflict involving armed groups and intercommunal violence has displaced large numbers of people, while insecurity has made it difficult for health workers to reach many communities, particularly camps for internally displaced people (IDPs).

Officials say the lack of access is hampering case detection, contact tracing and treatment, while communities that have long been deprived of basic services remain sceptical of an Ebola-focused response.

Al Jazeera speaks to Jean Kaseya, Director General of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) about the humanitarian challenges hampering the response, the funding gap and what it will take to bring the outbreak under control.

Al Jazeera: What are the main priorities?

Jean Kaseya: We are in a region where around a million people are living in camps for internally displaced people. These people cannot access even the most basic services and reaching those camps is a major challenge.

Some of the people coming from the camps to seek treatment are telling us there are many more cases there, but we cannot access them. We are talking about close to two million people.

Al Jazeera: You cannot go there because of security reasons?

Jean Kaseya: We cannot go there because of security concerns, which are linked not only to rebel groups but also to conflict between the Hema and Lendu communities. The people living in these camps have not received humanitarian support for a very long time.

When health workers go there to raise awareness about Ebola, people ask: “Why are you coming now? Is it because of your disease?”

They tell us they do not have enough water, food or medicines for other diseases.

They ask our volunteers: “Why are you only coming here because of Ebola?” It is a difficult question to answer.

Al Jazeera: You recently met Democratic Republic of the Congo President Felix Tshisekedi and African Union Chairperson and Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye. What came out of those meetings?

Jean Kaseya: We met the two heads of state together with the Ebola task force and the humanitarian affairs ministry. We concluded that we need around $1.4bn over the next six months to deal with this humanitarian crisis if we are serious about stopping the outbreak.

At our meeting on June 16, we received pledges of $910m, but that was for the health response only. The Democratic Republic of the Congo has provided $50m out of the $200m requested for the health response plan.

Now, because of the scale of the humanitarian crisis, those needs are being reviewed. We are talking about $1.4bn on top of the $200m required for the health response.

Al Jazeera: $1.4bn is a great deal of money at a time of donor fatigue. Why is that level of funding necessary?

Jean Kaseya: I want to make this very clear. Without addressing the humanitarian crisis, we will not stop the outbreak. That is what makes this outbreak more complex and more difficult than others we have seen in the past.

You cannot contain an Ebola outbreak without addressing these humanitarian challenges.

Al Jazeera: How will you secure that funding?

Jean Kaseya: It is a matter of choice. No one is protected. If our partners are serious, they will provide the funding needed to stop this outbreak where it is now.

If they do not act and tomorrow the outbreak spirals out of control, they could also be affected. Then they will realise that responding to the outbreak in their own countries will cost five to 10 times more than what we are requesting today to stop it at its source.

Al Jazeera: Another major challenge is contact tracing. Why?

Jean Kaseya: One of our key indicators is that we are seeing cases coming from camps for displaced people. There are three or four major camps and we are struggling to carry out contact tracing there.

Most of those affected are between the ages of 15 and 45. They are young and economically active. Anyone exposed to the virus needs to be isolated and monitored for 21 days, which means they cannot go to work or run their businesses.

We need to compensate them, provide them with food and give them somewhere to stay. Some of them do not even have a home.

Al Jazeera: What is your biggest concern?

Jean Kaseya: The case fatality rate is now approaching 25 percent and we do not know where the situation is heading.

We know that Ebola case fatality rates are usually around 20 percent, but the symptoms we are seeing are changing. Some are different from what we have seen in previous outbreaks. There are still many unknowns.

We must provide the support needed to stop the virus where it is. Closing borders is not the solution.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

American search-and-rescue teams pulled an infant alive from beneath the rubble in Venezuela days after the country’s devastating earthquakes, the U.S. Department of State said Saturday.

The State Department shared video on social media showing U.S. personnel pulling the infant from the rubble as rescue crews continued searching for survivors more than 72 hours after two powerful earthquakes struck the South American country.

The infant was 9 months old and was rescued along with her mother, the State Department told Fox News Digital. Both suffered only minor injuries, according to the rescue team.

“This heroic rescue was carried out in Catia La Mar by the Fairfax County Urban Search and Rescue team (USA-01), which deployed to Venezuela on June 26 following activation by the State Department,” a State Department spokesperson said.

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The rescue comes as emergency crews race against time to locate survivors before the critical rescue window closes.

“Against impossible odds, hope endures,” the State Department posted on X.

“American search and rescue teams rescued an infant from beneath the rubble following the earthquake in Venezuela,” the post continued. “Every life saved is a victory.”

The White House also shared the video, calling it “America at its best.”

“Thank you to the American search and rescue teams providing assistance in Venezuela,” the White House wrote.

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Round-the-clock rescue efforts have continued since magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes struck Venezuela’s northern coast Wednesday.

As of Saturday evening, officials said the death toll from the twin earthquakes had reached 1,430.

Earlier Saturday, officials reported that 243 people had been rescued.

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According to The Associated Press, more than 68,000 people remain missing across the country.

Aid groups consider the first 48 to 72 hours after a disaster to be the most critical window for finding survivors, though access to food and water can extend that period.

Venezuelan officials said 17 flights carrying more than 1,600 rescue personnel had arrived Saturday to assist with search-and-rescue efforts.

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Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams from Virginia, California and Florida were dispatched to Venezuela on Friday to help search collapsed buildings.

According to the State Department, the three USAR teams include 312 personnel and 18 canine teams, including firefighters, physicians, structural engineers and canine search specialists. The teams also deployed more than 200,000 pounds of specialized rescue equipment.

The Los Angeles County team includes 73 members equipped with concrete-breaking equipment and specialized listening devices used to detect survivors trapped beneath debris.

COLORADO AVALANCHE VICTIM RESCUED IN DRAMATIC VIDEO

Rescuers have fanned out across La Guaira, where the worst destruction occurred, and parts of Caracas, where families and volunteers have spent days pulling survivors and victims from the rubble.

The United States has pledged $150 million in emergency assistance and support for international relief organizations responding to the disaster.

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Fox News Digital has reached out to the State Department for additional information on the rescue.

Fox News Digital’s James Cirrone, and The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.