The World Health Organisation, WHO, has raised fresh concerns over the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC, warning that the virus is spreading at an unprecedented pace and could extend to more countries.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus gave the warning on Tuesday during an emergency meeting on the outbreak, acknowledging that containment efforts were still struggling to keep pace with transmission.
“We must be frank: the epidemic is far from being under control.
“It had a big head start, and we are still playing catch-up,” he added.
The warning came after authorities in the DRC reported that the outbreak had killed more than 2,300 people out of nearly 5,000 recorded cases, making it the deadliest Ebola outbreak in the country’s history.
Declared on May 15, the outbreak is the 17th Ebola epidemic recorded in the DRC. Health authorities believe transmission had already been taking place for several weeks before the outbreak was officially identified, increasing concerns about undetected chains of infection.
The crisis has particularly affected parts of northern and eastern DRC, where weak infrastructure, insecurity and the activities of armed groups have complicated access to affected communities.
Tedros said the outbreak “is being fuelled by insecurity and displacement, and intense population movement along roads, rivers and mining routes.”
He warned that the risk of the virus spreading within the country and across international borders remained high, while urging governments and other partners to work together to strengthen containment efforts.
“The risk of further national and international spread remains high,” Tedros said.
The WHO chief also said additional recommendations would be issued to the DRC and other countries as authorities intensify efforts to identify and break transmission chains.
‘Far from under control’ – WHO warns of rapid Ebola spread in DR Congo