Symbolic imageWHO says Congo's Ebola response is falling behind the outbreak
The WHO said on Saturday that the Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo, running since May, is still spreading and that current containment efforts are not enough. More than 3,500 infections have been confirmed.
What happened
- Five provinces are now affected, the WHO said in its statement from Geneva.
- As of Thursday, 30 July, 3,605 confirmed cases and 1,587 deaths had been reported.
- The WHO calls this the largest Ebola outbreak in Congo's history.
- Case trend, geographic spread and high mortality show the epidemic's dynamic, according to the WHO.
- Insecurity, displacement and cross-border movement hamper counter-measures and raise the risk of regional spread.
- Neighbouring Uganda declared its own outbreak over on Tuesday, 28 July, after 42 days without a new confirmed local case.
What could happen next
- Unclear how the response is to be scaled up: the WHO says only that substantially more must be done.
- Whether health teams can reach areas where fighting and displacement block access remains open.
- Regional exposure persists through population movements across Congo's borders, despite Uganda's all-clear.
- Case numbers in the five affected provinces will show whether measures take hold.