WHO calls for 'intensified' response as DR Congo Ebola cases near 4,000
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Ebola outbreak is spreading, with the number of infections rising rapidly. Declared in mid-May, this seventeenth Ebola outbreak has already claimed more than 1,700 lives. To address this situation, the World Health Organisation has called for an "intensified" medical response. Teams of doctors have been sent to the DR Congo, and specialised centres…
The World Health Organization chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, called for a more robust Ebola response during his visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The DRC declared its 17th Ebola outbreak on May 15, with 3,874 confirmed cases and 1,751 deaths reported so far. According to Tedros, the outbreak is spreading rapidly, with new cases doubling in certain areas within a week.
He emphasized the need to accelerate access to care, surveillance, and safe burials while bolstering protection for frontline health workers. The United States announced an additional $242 million in funding, bringing the total US financial assistance for the response to over $500 million. The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo species of the Ebola virus, has killed more than 15,000 people in Africa over the past five decades.
While there is no approved vaccine or treatment for the Bundibugyo strain, several experimental vaccines and treatments are currently being tested in the affected regions.
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