Ebola Preparedness Progressing – WHO

The World Health Organisation (WHO) says the world is beginning to catch up with the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), even though challenges remain.

At a press briefing on Wednesday, WHO Director General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus explained that the outbreak had a “big head start,” but under the leadership of the DRC government, progress is being made.

So far, there have been 344 confirmed cases and 60 confirmed deaths in the DRC. The outbreak is linked to the Bundibugyo strain of the virus, which has also spread to neighbouring Uganda, where 15 cases have been confirmed, including one death.

WHO officials said testing capacity has improved, which is why hundreds of suspected cases have now been ruled out. The Bundibugyo strain is harder to detect with common Ebola tests, creating a backlog. Abdirahman Mahamud, WHO’s director of health emergency alert and response operations, said laboratories have already processed 1,445 tests, clearing most of the backlog. He added that 116 suspected cases are still awaiting testing, and teams are reviewing 220 suspected deaths to confirm if they were caused by Ebola.

Encouragingly, six patients in the DRC and two in Uganda have recovered, showing that survival is possible when patients seek treatment early.

Despite progress, WHO says the response still faces serious challenges. Only about 45 percent of contacts have been traced, far below the 90 percent needed to stay ahead of the outbreak. Travel restrictions imposed by some countries are also disrupting supply chains and slowing down response efforts.

Dr. Tedros noted that the outbreak may have started as early as January, and investigations are still ongoing. However, he stressed that the focus now must be on containing the disease.

WHO estimates that it will cost at least $115 million over the next three months to fully respond to the outbreak. So far, only about 35 percent of that funding has been secured. Chikwe Ihekweazu, WHO’s emergencies chief, said “a lot more” money will be needed to sustain the response.

A wider plan and fundraising effort will be launched on Friday with partners including the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, and the governments of Congo and Uganda.

The WHO says the outbreak highlights the importance of strong surveillance, rapid testing, and international support. While the situation remains serious, officials believe that with proper funding and cooperation, the spread of Ebola can be contained.