The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the Ebola outbreak spreading across central Africa, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, is advancing faster than authorities can contain it.
According to Reuters on Tuesday, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told an online African Union meeting that "the detection of Ebola infections has been delayed, leaving response authorities playing catch-up," adding that the outbreak is likely to worsen.
The current outbreak involves the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, for which no vaccine or treatment is available. The WHO put the latest death toll from the outbreak at 220. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where the outbreak originated, 101 confirmed cases and 10 deaths have been reported, but suspected cases have reached 900 and suspected deaths 220, indicating that the potential damage is spreading rapidly. In neighboring Uganda, five confirmed cases and one death have been recorded.
"The security situation in the Ituri and North Kivu provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is highly unstable, and there is no approved vaccine for the Bundibugyo virus, making it difficult to slow the outbreak," Tedros said.
The WHO on the 17th of this month elevated the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to a Level 2 Public Health Emergency of International Concern. This is one level below the pandemic designation issued during COVID-19.
