Ebola Outbreak in DR Congo ‘Far From Under Control’, WHO Chief Warns
Ebola Outbreak in DRC Raises Concerns as Cases Spike
The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) continues to escalate at an alarming rate, prompting the World Health Organization (WHO) to issue warnings about potential spread to neighboring countries. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus voiced his concerns during an emergency meeting on Tuesday, noting that containment efforts are struggling to keep pace with the disease’s rapid transmission.
“The epidemic is far from being under control,” Tedros stated. “It had a big head start, and we are still playing catch-up.”
The DRC reported over 2,300 fatalities linked to the outbreak, and nearly 5,000 confirmed cases since it was declared on May 15. This marks the DRC’s 17th Ebola epidemic, and it is already recognized as the deadliest in the nation’s history. Health officials suspect that the virus was circulating for weeks prior to the official declaration, raising fears about the extent of its spread and the potential for further outbreaks.
The epidemic primarily affects regions in the north and east of the country, where governmental presence is minimal, health infrastructure is inadequate, and armed groups have long operated. Tedros highlighted that the outbreak is exacerbated by insecurity, displacement, and significant population movement along transportation routes.
He urged collaboration among governments to combat the outbreak and indicated that new recommendations for the DRC and other at-risk nations would be forthcoming.
According to Tedros, the current outbreak is advancing at an unprecedented speed. Statistics from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reveal that three months into this outbreak, cases and deaths in the DRC have outnumbered those recorded during the initial stages of the 2013-2016 West Africa outbreak by a factor of seven and five, respectively. That crisis resulted in over 11,300 deaths.
The DRC’s previous record for fatality was during the 2018-2020 outbreak, which killed 2,299 people out of 3,381 confirmed cases, according to WHO data derived from Congolese sources.
Tuesday’s emergency committee meeting was the second since the WHO designated the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on May 17, its second-highest alert level. The committee has yet to announce when its next recommendations will be made public.
Currently, the WHO assesses the public health risk as “very high” within the DRC and “high” for Uganda and other neighboring countries. Meanwhile, cases have emerged in six DRC provinces, including areas near the South Sudan border and in Uganda.
“The risk of further national and international spread remains high,” Tedros cautioned.
There is currently no specific vaccine or treatment available for the Bundibugyo strain responsible for this outbreak, although clinical trials are in progress.
Tedros expressed particular concern about the circumstances of many deaths occurring outside medical facilities, indicating a gap in the detection of transmission chains. “Every death like that points to a chain of transmission we have not yet found,” he warned, emphasizing that until all chains are identified and severed, the outbreak will persist.
Dieudonne Mwamba, head of the DRC’s Institute of Public Health (INSP), noted that rising cases and deaths could be attributed to community reluctance to seek treatment, necessitating new approaches to outreach and education.
At a press briefing on Tuesday, WHO expert Thierno Balde outlined ongoing efforts to enhance and decentralize response strategies, ensuring that interventions reach affected communities. Initiatives include better protecting motorcycle taxi drivers who transport patients and incorporating them into the surveillance system.
“WHO and partners aim to achieve a measurable impact in the coming months, but we cannot provide a timeline for when the epidemic will be under control,” Balde stated.
