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The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that a fast-moving Ebola outbreak spreading across the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda is currently outrunning initial containment efforts.
Addressing an online meeting of the African Union on Monday, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus revealed that the estimated number of suspected deaths from the virus has now climbed to 220.
Tedros stated that delays in initially detecting the virus mean emergency response teams are effectively playing catch-up to the spread.
He cautioned that the epidemic is highly likely to worsen before containment teams can successfully stabilise the situation.
To assess the crisis firsthand, the WHO chief announced he will travel directly to Congo—the epicentre of the flare-up—alongside Chikwe Ihekweazu, the agency’s lead official for health emergencies.
The geographic footprint of the virus continues to expand, with neighbouring Uganda reporting two additional cases on Monday to bring its confirmed total to seven.
Due to the high risk of cross-border transmission, the WHO has formally declared this outbreak of the rare Bundibugyo Ebola strain a public health emergency of international concern, urging all nations bordering the DRC to take immediate preventive action.
Halting the spread faces severe operational roadblocks.
Tedros emphasised that containment is heavily complicated by volatile security conditions in Congo’s affected Ituri and North Kivu provinces.
Furthermore, medical teams are facing this specific epidemic without a critical pharmaceutical tool, as there are currently no approved vaccines available to target the Bundibugyo strain of the virus.
