Ebola outbreak worsens, WHO calls for urgent response

The World Health Organization (WHO) is sounding the alarm over a worsening Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), urging neighboring countries to take immediate action. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated that nations bordering the DRC face a "especially high risk" and must act swiftly to counter the virus.

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Countries bordering DRC are at especially high risk and should take immediate action.

Tedros, who planned to travel to the DRC, described the current outbreak as "especially challenging." He highlighted three main difficulties: a significant delay in detecting the outbreak, which has allowed it to spread rapidly and outpace response efforts; the insecurity and intense fighting in the eastern provinces where the outbreak began, coupled with local distrust of authorities; and the absence of approved vaccines or therapeutics for the specific Bundibugyo strain of Ebola involved.

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The outbreak is spreading rapidly.

As of the WHO's latest figures, the outbreak has caused 10 confirmed deaths and 220 suspected deaths in the DRC since May 15. Uganda has confirmed one death. The African Union's Africa CDC has warned that ten other African countries are also at risk, underscoring the potential for wider regional spread. The WHO is urgently scaling up its operations to contain the deadly hemorrhagic fever, which spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids and can lead to severe bleeding and organ failure.

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First, the delay in detecting the outbreak means that we are now playing catch-up with a very fast-moving epidemic. We are urgently scaling up operations but at the moment, the epidemic is outpacing us.