WHO sees 'encouraging signs' in DR Congo Ebola response but says outbreak 'far from over'

What the report says

The World Health Organization said the Ebola response in the Democratic Republic of Congo is showing “encouraging signs,” while stressing that the outbreak remains “far from over,” according to France 24 Africa. The agency said transmission is declining in the hardest-hit parts of Ituri province, even as the epidemic continues to spread and could still move further in a region with high population mobility.

France 24 reported that DR Congo had recorded more than 7,000 confirmed Ebola cases across seven provinces as of September 11. WHO officials said better surveillance and more intensive contact tracing may also surface additional cases, which could make the outbreak appear larger in the short term even as containment efforts improve.

The article noted that more than 3,000 healthcare and frontline workers have already received Merck’s Ervebo vaccine. However, the vaccine was developed against Zaire ebolavirus, while the current outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, so its effectiveness in this epidemic is not known.

WHO said an observational study of frontline workers is expected to begin soon, and a separate trial led by Congo’s National Institute of Biomedical Research with other partners is expected in the coming weeks to test Ervebo and other vaccine candidates. The outbreak is significant because it is among the deadliest Ebola epidemics on record and continues to place heavy pressure on health workers and response teams.