World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Photo: WHO
The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is still spreading but is showing “encouraging” signs of improvement, the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said on Wednesday.
“We are starting to see encouraging signs that we’re gaining ground,” Tedros told a news conference in Geneva.
The DRC declared its 17th Ebola outbreak in mid-May. Since then, more than 7,200 cases and over 3,500 deaths have been recorded across seven northern and eastern provinces affected by widespread insecurity and the activities of armed groups.
Ebola is transmitted through contact with bodily fluids and can cause severe bleeding, organ failure and death. The disease has killed more than 15,000 people in Africa over the past five decades.
Tedros said transmission was declining in Ituri province, the epicentre of the current outbreak, while South Kivu has recorded no new cases since May.
He said efforts to contain the outbreak were also benefiting from increased community engagement.
“Trials of treatments and post-exposure prophylaxis are picking up speed, due to increased community engagement,” he said.
Tedros added that vaccine trials were expected to begin in the coming weeks, but warned that the apparent improvement should not lead to complacency.
“Make no mistake: the epidemic continues to grow and continues to kill,” he said.
Maria Van Kerkhove, director of epidemic and pandemic management at the WHO, also cautioned that the response would require sustained efforts.
“We still have many, many months ahead of us,” she said.
