By Muhammad Amaan
The World Health Organization (WHO) said the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) remains a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, said this during a briefing to member states on the outbreak, according to a statement.
“DRC has recorded nearly 11,000 confirmed cases and more than 5,300 deaths across eight provinces,” he said.
Dr Ghebreyesus, however, said nearly 3,000 patients had recovered, with encouraging signs of declining transmission in some affected areas.
He attributed the progress to efforts by communities, health workers, national authorities and response partners under the leadership of the DRC government.
He warned that new hotspots continued to emerge, with the outbreak spreading to other areas in spite of progress recorded in some locations.
The WHO chief identified insecurity as one of the major obstacles, citing an attack on Cantine-Aloya that killed 66 civilians, including three health workers.
He said three health facilities were also looted and burnt during the attack, while more than 1,000 contacts were lost to follow-up.
“The three confirmed Ebola cases were also unaccounted for,” Ghebreyesus said, describing the incident as a humanitarian emergency and a major setback to response efforts.
He recalled another attack two weeks earlier in Tshopo Province, where a nurse was killed and another health worker injured while responding to an Ebola alert.
“Other security incidents included gunfire near treatment centres, attacks on health facilities, threats against health workers and obstruction of safe burial operations,” Ghebreyesus said.
He said such incidents restricted humanitarian access, disrupted response activities and delayed interventions, thereby giving the virus opportunities to spread.
The WHO chief identified population displacement, difficult terrain and rainy weather as additional challenges confronting response teams in affected communities.
He also expressed concern over delayed payment of frontline health workers, warning that it could trigger strikes and tensions within communities.
Ghebreyesus said the response was expanding but remained below the scale required to identify, isolate and treat cases, trace contacts and rapidly interrupt transmission.
He said WHO was working with the DRC government, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and other partners to strengthen response activities.
He listed surveillance, laboratory capacity, clinical care, infection prevention and control, safe burials, risk communication and community engagement as key intervention areas.
According to him, the response components must function together to ensure that alerts lead promptly to investigations, testing, isolation and appropriate treatment.
He said research efforts were also advancing, with a trial involving the Ervebo vaccine beginning last month to support the response.
Dr Ghebreyesus said WHO expert groups had recommended the inclusion of two additional vaccine candidates developed specifically against the Bundibugyo virus.
He, however, emphasised that vaccines could not replace immediate life-saving interventions, including early treatment, contact tracing, isolation, safe burials and community engagement.
The WHO chief emphasised that Ebola interventions must also protect essential health services, including primary healthcare, maternal and child health services and treatment for other diseases.
He said affected populations, particularly those in hard-to-reach and non-government-controlled areas, must have equitable access to healthcare and humanitarian assistance.
Ghebreyesus also emphasised the need to prevent sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment, describing protection measures as essential components of the response.
He said WHO was collaborating with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and other partners to strengthen safeguards, reporting channels and survivor-centred assistance.
“On regional preparedness, Kenya had reported nine Ebola cases linked to an imported infection from the DRC, including two deaths,” he said.
He said that Kenya had discharged its final patient and commenced the mandatory 42-day countdown towards being declared Ebola-free.
Ghebreyesus said Nigeria had also recorded one imported case involving a Swiss citizen, who was evacuated to Switzerland alongside their spouse.
He said the rapid detection and management of cases in both countries demonstrated the importance of preparedness, transparency and effective public health measures.
According to him, WHO was supporting at-risk countries through surveillance, investigation of alerts, testing, isolation, clinical management and procurement of personal protective equipment.
He urged countries that had imposed blanket travel restrictions to lift them, warning that such measures could hinder response operations and damage livelihoods.
He said blanket restrictions could also discourage countries from reporting outbreaks promptly, recommending targeted and evidence-based public health measures instead.
The WHO chief said the DRC government had updated its national response plan through January 2027, while WHO and Africa CDC were revising the continental preparedness plan.
He said WHO had mobilised substantial resources but emphasised the need for timely and coordinated financing directed towards urgent operational priorities.
Ghebreyesus called for transparent tracking of financial pledges, commitments and disbursements to ensure accountability and effective utilisation of resources.
He urged member states and partners to sustain political and diplomatic engagement to guarantee safe humanitarian access and protect health workers, patients and facilities.
He also called for rapid expansion of response activities in affected communities and stronger preparedness in countries at risk, guided by national authorities.
The WHO chief further emphasised timely payment of frontline workers and continued provision of essential health and humanitarian services alongside Ebola interventions.
He said communities must remain central to response activities, noting that trust could only be built through respectful engagement, reliable services and accountability.
Ghebreyesus urged partners to address other threats confronting affected populations and strengthen health systems to ensure communities emerged stronger after the outbreak.
He said ending the outbreak required national leadership, community ownership, safe humanitarian access, disciplined coordination and sustained support from all partners.
