The World Health Organization (WHO) has called for increased international support to help contain the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), warning that response efforts are struggling to keep pace with the spread of the disease.
Speaking to reporters in Geneva on Tuesday, WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said the outbreak continues to expand beyond the current response capacity.
“The outbreak is unfortunately still expanding beyond the capacity of the response,” Jasarevic said.
He appealed for greater financial and logistical support to strengthen critical response efforts, including treatment centres, field investigation teams, safe burial operations and community-based health workers.
According to the WHO, the DRC has recorded 3,802 confirmed Ebola cases, with 1,707 deaths. A total of 727 patients have recovered, while 275 suspected cases remain under investigation.
Health authorities are currently monitoring about 17,000 people who have come into contact with infected individuals, with more than 80 per cent receiving daily follow-up checks.
Although Ebola cases have been reported in five provinces, nearly 90 per cent are concentrated in the northeastern province of Ituri, while most of the remaining cases are in neighbouring North Kivu Province.
The DRC declared its 17th Ebola outbreak on May 15 after several deaths were reported in Ituri.
The current outbreak is being driven by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, for which there are currently no proven safe and effective treatments, licensed vaccines or post-exposure preventive therapies.
Despite the challenges, the WHO said several clinical trials involving potential treatments, vaccines and post-exposure antiviral drugs are underway.
Vasee Moorthy, head of the WHO’s Research and Development Blueprint Programme, said preliminary findings from the ongoing trials have shown encouraging results, raising hopes for improved tools to combat the outbreak.
Ebola is a severe viral haemorrhagic fever that spreads through direct contact with infected people or their bodily fluids and remains one of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases.
