The Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has expressed concern over the escalating Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda, warning that more cases are likely to emerge in the coming weeks.
Tedros shared the update on his X account on Tuesday, noting that the outbreak is still spreading despite ongoing containment efforts.
According to him, 101 confirmed cases of the Ebola Bundibugyo virus have been recorded in the DRC, along with 10 confirmed deaths.
He added that the situation could be more difficult than reported, with more than 900 suspected cases and about 220 suspected deaths under investigation.
In Uganda, Tedros said two additional infections had been confirmed among healthcare workers, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to seven, including one death.
The WHO chief said response efforts are being intensified in collaboration with partners to limit further spread of the virus.
“We are continuing to scale up the response with our partners, and we expect more cases to be identified in the coming days and weeks,” he stated.
Tedros also emphasised the need for faster detection and contact tracing to contain the outbreak effectively.
“The sooner we can trace people with infections and identify their contacts, the sooner we can provide the care they need and bring this outbreak under control,” he added.
