World Health Organization: Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is spiraling out of control

The World Health Organization said on Saturday that the Ebola outbreak in Central Africa remains out of control despite weeks of efforts, and is worsening in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with an increasing risk of spillover into neighboring countries.

The UN health agency added that this is the largest outbreak the country has ever experienced.

In a statement released on Saturday, the organization said, “A significant expansion of response activities is needed to contain the outbreak.”

It added that during the past week, 567 cases and 296 deaths were recorded, the highest single-week figures since the outbreak began. In total, there have been 3,605 laboratory-confirmed cases, including 1,587 deaths, while 651 patients have recovered from the infection.

The previous largest Ebola outbreak in the Congo occurred between 2018 and 2020, when 3,317 confirmed cases were recorded.

However, the organization noted that most of the increase reflects the widening scope of the outbreak. Only about 80% of contacts of infected individuals are being followed up for three weeks, whereas experts stress that the required rate for disease control should reach 95%.

Public health workers face difficult security conditions due to conflicts with rebel groups, the presence of hundreds of thousands of displaced persons, and deep-seated mistrust between the population and health authorities.