Ebola outbreak continues to spread in DR Congo, WHO chief warns

World Health Organisation Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has warned that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo continues to spread despite some signs of improvement.

Speaking at a press conference, he said infection rates are declining in the hardest-hit areas of Ituri Province, while no new cases have been recorded in South Kivu since May, Caliber.Az reports, citing Al Jazeera.

Tedros made clear that transmission was declining in the worst-affected areas of Ituri province, the epicentre of the outbreak, while South Kivu has not reported any new cases since May.

“But make no mistake, the epidemic continues to grow and continues to kill,” Ghebreyesus added.

According to him, around 300 new infections and 160 deaths were recorded over the past week, accounting for nearly half of the country’s total.

Ghebreyesus stressed that the outbreak could intensify in regions with high population mobility.

World Health Organisation stated that the situation is also deteriorating in North Kivu, where the number of cases has nearly doubled over two weeks, from 100 to more than 200. More than 7,200 cases have been recorded across the country, with over 3,500 people having died.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov