WHO aims to reverse DR Congo Ebola outbreak in 3 months

The World Health Organization (WHO) has set a three-month target to curb the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), according to a report on Wednesday. However, the health agency cautioned that ending the epidemic would not occur within that timeframe. The current Ebola outbreak, which originated in the conflict-ridden Ituri province, has seen a rapid spread, with 4,499 confirmed cases and 2,061 deaths as of now.

Abdirahman Mahamud, the head of the WHO's emergency response division, stated that if all elements of the response are deployed simultaneously across the five transmission zones, a turnaround is anticipated in three months. The UN health agency emphasized that controlling transmission does not signify the end of the outbreak; surveillance efforts must persist to avert future surges.

The DRC declared its 17th Ebola outbreak on May 15, prompting the WHO to elevate the situation to a public health emergency of international concern, its second-highest alert level. Since then, the disease has propagated across multiple provinces in the country's northeast and east, where insecurity, limited state presence, and limited health infrastructure have impeded the response.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus identified improving contact tracing as the primary operational challenge, aiming to raise follow-up rates from the current 80% to 95%. Additionally, the organization plans to triple treatment capacity, with a goal of 3,000 beds within 12 weeks. Ebola, a highly contagious virus transmitted through contact with bodily fluids, causes a severe hemorrhagic fever. Over the past five decades, the virus has claimed more than 15,000 lives in Africa.