Congo Ebola outbreak 'remains serious' with nearly 900 cases, WHO says

The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo "remains serious and continues to evolve" one month after it was declared, a World Health Organization (WHO) official said Friday.

Speaking to reporters in Geneva via video link, Marie-Roseline Belizaire of WHO's Africa office said 896 confirmed Ebola cases and 232 deaths have been reported across 33 health zones in three provinces of the Congo.

"Cases continue to be reported across multiple areas, underscoring the need to sustain and accelerate response efforts," she said.

Belizaire noted that neighboring Uganda has not reported any Ebola cases over the past 12 days, marking a positive development in efforts to prevent the outbreak from spreading across borders.

She also highlighted signs of progress, noting that 78 people have recovered from the virus so far.

"Their recovery is a powerful reminder that timely diagnosis and access to quality care save lives," she said.

WHO has deployed more than 115 experts to affected provinces and health zones and delivered over 110 metric tons of emergency supplies to support response operations, she said.

Despite those efforts, Belizaire warned that operational requirements continue to grow as the outbreak evolves. Access constraints in some high-risk areas, gaps in contact tracing and continued reports of community deaths remain major challenges.

She said some transmission chains may still be occurring outside the reach of response activities, particularly in communities affected by displacement where needs continue to exceed available resources.

"We know what works to stop Ebola transmission," Belizaire said. "Our collective task is to continue applying those measures at the speed and scale required to bring this outbreak under control."