Addressing reporters in Geneva, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the two-month-old outbreak has continued to expand despite significant efforts by the Government, WHO, the African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and other partners.
“To date, 2,273 cases have been reported, with 796 deaths.“, he said. “By comparison, the 2018-2019 Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo took more than 10 months to reach 2,000 confirmed cases.”
Transmission continues to accelerate
Tedros said intense transmission in Ituri province, in the restive eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, remains the WHO's biggest concern.
More than 80 percent of new infections are detected outside known contact lists.indicating that chains of transmission remain undetected, while around two-thirds of deaths occur in communities among people who never receive treatment in a health facility.
“Despite the progress we have made, the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is Continuing to surpass the answer.”, he warned.
Active armed conflict is also hampering operations. Dr. Tedros noted that Ebola The Bunia treatment center was attacked on Wednesday.further complicating efforts to reach affected communities.
'You can survive this disease'
Treatment capacity has increased to more than 800 beds, laboratory capacity has increased from one laboratory to 16, and contact tracing rates have increased to nearly 80 percent. More than 21,000 community health workers are being trained and safe and dignified burials have also improved.
The Director General highlighted the encouraging advances in research and therapeutics, but even without approved vaccines or treatments, 377 people have recovered from the disease.
“With early diagnosis and safe care, this disease can be survived and stopped.Tedros said.
Milestone in Uganda
However, in neighboring Uganda, the WHO reported encouraging progress.
The last confirmed Ebola patient in the country was discharged on Thursday after testing negative for the virus twice, marking the start of the 42-day countdown before the outbreak can be officially declared over.
Uganda has reported 20 confirmed cases and two deaths since declaring its outbreak on May 15. Fifteen infections were related to importation from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, while five were due to local transmission.
WHO representative Dr Kasonde Mwinga said the figures reflect the commitment of Uganda's health workers, communities and partners, but warned that the country remains at risk.
Funding gap threatens response
Tedros stressed that containing the outbreak will require stronger political backing as well as financial support.
WHO's joint continental preparedness and response plan with the Africa CDC still faces a funding gap of more than $400 million.
“We urge donors to fill this gap and help us control this outbreak as quickly as possible,” he said.
“This is not charity. This is an investment in national security.”
The United Nations Children's Fund, UNICEF, has also requested additional resources, warning this week that only 25 percent of the funding needed for its Ebola response is currently available.
During a visit to Ituri, UNICEF Regional Director Gilles Fagninou said the epidemic could still be contained if governments, communities and humanitarian partners acted more quickly and collectively.
“We know how to stop this epidemic,” Fagninou said. “The challenge is not a lack of solutions, but a lack of funding to implement them at the necessary scale.”
