The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is spreading more quickly than in any previous outbreak, even as Uganda edges closer to being declared virus-free.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters on Thursday that the DRC’s 2018-2020 Ebola outbreak took more than 10 months to reach 2,000 confirmed cases. This time, it took only two months to cross that threshold.
Cases Climb as WHO Calls It Third-Largest Outbreak on Record”It is now the third-largest Ebola outbreak on record,” Tedros said. “In the past month, it has expanded faster than any previous outbreak.
“The number of confirmed Ebola cases in the DRC climbed to 2,124 on Thursday, according to government data, with the country’s public health institute reporting 51 new cases detected on Wednesday in the eastern provinces of Ituri and North Kivu.
Separately, the DRC reported 62 new cases on Thursday, bringing its total confirmed infections to 2,073, though the WHO has said the true tally could be at least double the official count.
The DRC’s 17th Ebola outbreak was declared on May 15, following several deaths in Ituri, a mineral-rich northeastern province patrolled by several armed groups.
Cases have so far emerged in five DRC provinces and in neighbouring Uganda, though the vast majority remain concentrated in Ituri.
Tedros highlighted that more than 80 percent of new cases are being detected outside known contact lists, a sign that transmission chains are still being missed.
He added that 377 people have recovered from Ebola in the DRC, showing that with early diagnosis and safe care, the disease can be survived and stopped.
Healthcare Workers Strike in Ituri Amid Unpaid WagesCompounding the crisis in Ituri, healthcare workers began a strike and blocked the entrance to Bunia General Hospital on Wednesday. Staff said they had not received compensation for their work since the outbreak began, despite operating under extremely difficult conditions.
Uganda Discharges Last Patient, Starts Countdown to Ebola-Free StatusIn Uganda, the outlook has been more encouraging. The country’s last remaining Ebola patient was discharged on Thursday, starting a 42-day countdown after which the country can be declared Ebola-free, according to Uganda’s health ministry.
Uganda had recorded 20 cases of the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola since mid-May, 15 of them involving people infected in the DRC who later travelled to Uganda. Unlike the surging infection numbers in the DRC, Uganda has not reported a new case since June 22.
“Today, Uganda has discharged the last Ebola patient, a Congolese national who has successfully recovered and is ready to be with his family,” Uganda’s health ministry posted on X. “Uganda starts counting down.
If 42 days pass without a single new case, WHO guidelines stipulate that we will be declared Ebola-free.”
