THE World Health Organisation (WHO) has urged countries, especially those neighbouring the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to take urgent precautionary measures and be on the alert, as it confirmed that at least 42 people have died following a new outbreak of the Ebola virus.
According to the United Nation’s health agency, 64 cases have been recorded since the outbreak was declared in early September, with the Zaire strain of the virus identified as the cause. WHO estimates the current fatality rate at 45.7 per cent.
In response, DRC health authorities have rolled out a vaccination programme in the central province of Kasai, where the resurgence was first reported, even as the International Coordination Group on Vaccine Supply has also approved the shipment of 45,000 additional doses to support the effort.
WHO Director General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who confirmed the figures in a post on X, stressed that while the risk of further spread is considered high at the national level, it remains moderate across the wider region.
The agency, however, warned that the outbreak was being fuelled by challenges, such as insufficient protective equipment, incomplete contact tracing, late detection of cases, unsafe burial practices, as well as high population mobility and reliance on traditional healers.
Ebola, first identified in 1976 and believed to have originated from bats, is a deadly viral disease spread through direct contact with bodily fluids.
It causes severe bleeding, organ failure and in many cases, death.
The DRC has faced multiple outbreaks of the disease, with the deadliest between 2018 and 2020 claiming nearly 2,300 lives.
