Ebola transmission declining in DR Congo’s hard-hit Ituri province: WHO

Beyza Binnur Donmez

Ebola transmission is declining in parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) hard-hit Ituri province, the World Health Organization (WHO) chief said Wednesday.

He warned that the epidemic continues to grow overall.

“We are now starting to see encouraging signs that we are gaining ground,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters in Geneva.

Tedros said transmission is declining in the most affected parts of Ituri, while South Kivu has reported no new cases since May and more than 1,700 people have recovered.

After four months, the epidemic has also remained largely contained to northeastern DRC, apart from a small outbreak in Uganda that was “swiftly stopped,” he said.

Tedros warned, however, that more than 7,200 cases and over 3,500 deaths have been reported in seven provinces.

In Ituri, around 300 new cases and 160 deaths were recorded in the last week, accounting for nearly half of the national total.

Cases are also rising rapidly in North Kivu, where weekly infections have nearly doubled in the last two weeks, from about 100 to more than 200.

“The key indicators are not yet improving as they must,” said Tedros. “The response will need to be sustained and strengthened over many demanding months.”