Ebola outbreak in Congo spreads faster, WHO chief urges massive scale-up

Nearly three months into the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, new cases are doubling in some hotspots, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. In a post on X after meeting with officials in the capital, Kinshasa, Tedros said, "We all agree that we must urgently and massively scale up all our efforts across all pillars of the response and by all partners." This was his second visit to the Central African country since the outbreak was declared in mid-May.

The outbreak has accounted for 3,874 confirmed cases, including 1,751 deaths, as of Monday, according to the latest data from Congo's Ministry of Health. In Ituri province, the epicenter of the outbreak, families said many frontline workers have gone on strike, worsening access to health care that was already challenged by rebel conflict in one of Congo's most remote and vulnerable areas, its east near the borders of South Sudan, Uganda, and Rwanda.

While some workers say they have started receiving payment in the last week for work done since the outbreak began, they are demanding improved wages. Anicet Baluku, a resident of Bunia, the capital of Ituri, blamed the death of his two brothers from Ebola on the strike. "We urge the authorities to quickly find a solution to prevent other families from experiencing the same tragedy," he told The Associated Press.

The US Department of State said on Wednesday that it will provide an additional $242 million in funding for immediate Ebola response and preparedness efforts in the region and for humanitarian assistance related to the outbreak. Such funding, it said in a statement, has now exceeded $512 million in direct assistance.

The outbreak has eclipsed all previous Ebola outbreaks in its speed of transmission and is the second-largest outbreak on record, behind the 2014-2016 West Africa outbreak that recorded more than 28,000 cases, including over 11,000 deaths. According to Mehr News, the WHO chief's visit underscores the severity of the situation and the need for a coordinated international response.