Ebola outbreak in Congo is still serious, African health body says

The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo remains a serious matter, according to Africa's top public health agency. In a statement on Thursday, the Africa CDC highlighted the ongoing challenges in controlling the virus, despite recent encouraging signs from Congo's health officials.

Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba reported that transmission of the virus has been gradually slowing down since its peak reached in mid-August. The Africa CDC's Director-General, Jean Kaseya, acknowledged this progress, but stressed that the outbreak is not yet under control. "The data could not confirm that the peak of the outbreak has been reached, and the transmission is not yet consistently controlled across all affected areas," Kaseya stated via the Emergency Consultative Group of the Africa CDC.

However, Kaseya also cautioned that the Congo health officials' comments were based on incomplete data. He emphasized that a sustained decline in cases would be needed before declaring the peak of the outbreak. "We are still committed to support the government, and I want to congratulate for the progress made so far. We saw a decrease in some areas, but we say the situation is still serious," Kaseya told reporters.