The World Health Organization said on Wednesday that efforts to control the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo are starting to close the gap with the epidemic's spread, though significant obstacles remain.
"The outbreak had a big head start, and we’re still behind, but under the leadership of the government of DRC, we’re catching up," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a press briefing, characterizing the current pace of the response.
Health authorities report 344 confirmed cases of Ebola in the DRC and 60 confirmed deaths. The outbreak, linked to the Bundibugyo strain of the virus, has crossed an international border: Uganda has confirmed 15 cases, including one death, the WHO said.
Testing and surveillance update
Access to diagnostic testing has improved, reducing the number of suspected cases ultimately ruled out for Ebola. The WHO said that most routine Ebola diagnostic tests do not detect the Bundibugyo strain, which contributed to a testing backlog earlier in the response.
Abdirahman Mahamud, WHO director of health emergency alert and response operations, said teams are working to clear that backlog. He provided specific testing figures: "So the lab so far has done 1,445 tests that cleared almost all the backlog we had, and every day as the surveillance improves, there are new suspect cases."
As of the briefing, 116 suspected cases were awaiting testing, and a separate team was reviewing 220 suspected deaths to determine how many were likely caused by Ebola.
Clinical outcomes and care
The WHO reported that six people have recovered in the DRC and two have recovered in Uganda. The agency highlighted those recoveries to note that patients can survive Ebola if they obtain care early and promptly after symptoms appear.
Operational challenges
Despite progress, WHO officials warned of ongoing difficulties in scaling up laboratory capacity and in tracing contacts. Only about 45% of identified contacts have been followed up so far. Tedros stressed the need to substantially increase that figure, noting that to stay ahead of the outbreak the contact follow-up rate must exceed 90%.
The agency also said that some countries have imposed blanket travel restrictions that are disrupting supply chains and hampering response operations on the ground.
Financing the response
WHO emergencies head Chikwe Ihekweazu set out a short-term funding requirement to sustain operations. The agency said it will need at least $115 million over the next three months to support the response, and that around 35% of that sum has already been raised. Ihekweazu said that "a lot more" funding will be required over the full duration of the response.
To broaden the resource and operational plan, WHO will join partners for a larger fundraising effort. A wider plan and fundraising appeal will be launched with other partners including the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and the Congo and Uganda governments on Friday.
Uncertainties about timing
Tedros also noted that the outbreak may have begun as early as January, and said teams are continuing to investigate that timeline. He emphasized, however, that the immediate priority is to contain the outbreak rather than to fixate on its precise start date.
The WHO description of both progress and persistent gaps underscores the dual nature of the response: measurable improvements in testing and coordination, alongside shortfalls in contact tracing, supply chains and funding that must be addressed to bring the epidemic under control.