The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) remains a global health emergency, with confirmed cases exceeding 5,000 and more than 2,320 deaths recorded.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made the warning after an emergency meeting on Tuesday, urging the international community to support efforts to contain the disease.
“The epidemic is far from being under control,” Tedros said, noting that the outbreak had gained significant momentum before response efforts were fully mobilised.
The outbreak, which was officially declared on May 17, is the deadliest Ebola outbreak in the DRC's history. It has surpassed the 2,299 deaths recorded during the 2018–2020 outbreak.
Health officials are particularly concerned because the current outbreak involves the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which there is currently no approved vaccine or treatment.
The response has also been complicated by armed conflict, misinformation, distrust of healthcare workers and cultural practices in affected communities.
Tedros said the virus was spreading at an “unprecedented speed” and warned that health officials had yet to identify some chains of transmission. He stressed that the outbreak would continue until all transmission chains were identified and stopped.
WHO officials are also focusing on motorbike riders, who play an important role in transporting patients and bodies. Health authorities are seeking to recruit them as surveillance and response officers to help detect new cases.
Genetic sequencing indicates that the outbreak began spreading in February, about three months before it was officially declared.
Meanwhile, an experimental vaccine is being tested. The first volunteer received the vaccine in the United Kingdom last month, while hundreds of thousands of doses produced in India are reportedly ready for use if clinical trials prove successful.
Health authorities continue to call for stronger international support and greater community participation to bring the outbreak under control.
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