The World Health Organization (WHO) is raising the alarm: active transmission of the Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) continues, and all efforts to contain the epidemic are under threat. Despite neighboring Uganda managing to contain an outbreak of a new strain, the situation in Congo is worsening, with rising numbers of infections and deaths. A critical issue is the acute funding shortfall—$30 million is needed to deliver protective equipment and supplies to affected areas, reports infohub.kz.
According to Reuters, citing DRC government data, more than 5,600 cases and over 2,700 deaths have been recorded to date. These figures already exceed those of the previous major outbreak in 2018–2020.
"Transmission remains very active. We have slowed the acceleration, but we have not yet been able to reverse the situation," said Dr. Marie Roseline Belizaire, Director of Emergency Preparedness for the WHO African Region. She also noted that tests on the new strain have not shown signs of mutation, despite its rapid spread. However, the main concern is the lack of funds.
At least $30 million is required for logistics operations to deliver medical equipment and personal protective equipment to the most affected areas of Congo. "Without these immediate investments, we risk stalling the momentum we have gained," Belizaire stressed.
It is recalled that the Ebola outbreak in the DRC was announced in mid-May, when a state of emergency was declared. The cause was a rare strain called Bundibugyo.