The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported that an Ebola outbreak declared in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in early September has killed 42 people out of 64 confirmed cases.
In a statement on Wednesday, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that the risk of further spread remains “high at the national level” but is considered moderate across the wider region.
He said the UN health body and its partners are working closely with Congolese authorities to contain the epidemic.
Health officials in the DRC launched a vaccination campaign two weeks ago after the resurgence of the disease was confirmed in Kasai province.
So far, the International Coordination Group on Vaccine Supply has approved the delivery of 45,000 additional doses of the Ebola vaccine to support the response.
The outbreak has been linked to challenges including inadequate protective equipment, gaps in contact tracing, delayed case detection, unsafe burials, and widespread population mobility.
Authorities also noted that reliance on traditional healers has made containment efforts more difficult.
Ebola, a highly infectious viral disease, spreads through direct contact with body fluids. It often causes severe bleeding and multi-organ failure, with mortality rates ranging from 25% to 90% depending on the strain and healthcare response.
The current outbreak is driven by the Zaire strain, for which a vaccine is available.
The WHO has estimated the case fatality rate at 45.7% so far.
The DRC has faced repeated Ebola outbreaks, with the deadliest between 2018 and 2020 claiming nearly 2,300 lives.
Since the virus was first identified in 1976, it has killed about 15,000 people across Africa.
