The World Health Organisation (WHO) has confirmed 344 Ebola cases and 60 deaths in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Director-General Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus said during a news conference on Wednesday. The number of suspected cases pending review has dropped from over 1,000 to 116 as laboratory testing improves in affected regions. Dr Tedros shared the update after visiting the outbreak's epicentre in Ituri Province, where he met with political leaders, health workers and community groups. The WHO's risk assessment remains very high nationally, high regionally and low globally, despite ongoing containment efforts.
Confirmed cases have spread across 24 health zones in Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu provinces. Treatment capacity now includes three centres with 80 beds in Bunia, as well as facilities in Mongbwalu, Rwampara, Beni, Goma and Bukavu. Six patients have recovered in DRC and two in Uganda. Contact tracing, however, covers only 45 per cent of identified contacts, falling short of the 90 per cent target needed to halt transmission.
The outbreak has crossed into Uganda, which has recorded 15 confirmed cases and one death, including a Congolese national who travelled through the United Arab Emirates. A U.S. citizen infected in DRC is receiving treatment in Germany. WHO is coordinating with Ugandan and UAE authorities on contact tracing and risk assessments. Dr Tedros cited five key obstacles: persistent testing delays, limited contact follow-up due to insecurity, supply chain disruptions from travel restrictions, community mistrust, and the absence of approved vaccines or therapeutics.
To address testing lags, WHO is decentralising lab services to Mongbwalu, Beni, Aru, Nyakunde and Tchomia. The organisation has activated its Medical Countermeasures Network to speed up trials and diagnostics. Dr Tedros stressed that leadership, community ownership and trust are critical to ending the outbreak. He noted that DRC has previously stopped 16 Ebola outbreaks and expressed confidence the current one will also end. WHO has pledged to remain in DRC after containment to strengthen health and humanitarian systems under government leadership.
Dr Tedros claims DRC has contained 16 Ebola outbreaks before, yet the current response still struggles with basic contact tracing and lab delays. The same weaknesses have resurfaced despite repeated cycles of crisis and recovery. If systems remain fragile after each declared victory, the pattern suggests containment is temporary, not systemic. Communities may survive Ebola only to face deadlier threats like malaria or malnutrition with no outbreak-level response.
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