United Nations officials warned in Geneva on September 15 that the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Ebola outbreak remained extensive despite local progress. WHO epidemiologist Olivier le Polain said it was too early to declare a peak and that bringing the epidemic under control would require months of sustained support, Reuters reported.
Government figures published on Tuesday recorded 7,258 confirmed cases and 3,510 deaths across seven provinces, according to Reuters. The agency described the outbreak as the second deadliest on record, after the West African epidemic of 2014–2016. The figures reflect the cumulative toll, rather than new infections reported in a single day.
UN Ebola coordinator Julien Harneis told the briefing that parts of Ituri and Bunia were making progress, while cases continued to increase in North Kivu. WHO said the picture varied sharply by location: South Kivu had reported no new cases since May, but surveillance and detection there continued.
Congo’s health minister, Samuel Roger Kamba, had said on Saturday that daily new cases had fallen from roughly 120 at what he described as the mid-August peak to around 80. Reuters reported that 10 of 62 affected health zones had gone more than 22 days without new cases. Kamba nevertheless urged continued vigilance.
Harneis said weak infrastructure and attacks on responders complicated work across a vast affected area spanning two time zones. Most residents supported the response, he stressed. Coordination among the authorities, aid organizations and Africa CDC had helped increase bed capacity, according to the UN briefing.
The UN officials called for more resources and continued efforts even in areas currently reporting no cases. Le Polain warned that early improvement could give way to renewed spread; Harneis said inadequate funding could allow the epidemic to return. WHO’s assessment therefore remained cautious despite the gains reported locally.
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