UN, WHO Warn of Accelerating Ebola Outbreak in Congo

Muscat: The United Nations and the World Health Organization (WHO) have issued an urgent warning over the rapidly accelerating Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), as case numbers continue to expand and the death toll mounts. Both organizations have called for intensified international efforts to contain the epidemic and curb its further spread. According to Oman News Agency, Tom Fletcher, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, stated that the virus is claiming one life every 30 minutes, describing the current outbreak as the fastest-spreading on record. He emphasized the critical need to redouble response efforts before transmission widens further. For its part, the WHO reported that the outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo virus strain, has become the largest ever recorded in the DRC and the most rapidly expanding compared to previous Ebola outbreaks. The virus has now spread to 54 health zones across six provinces, having initially bee n confined to the Mungbapu area in Ituri Province. According to the latest data released by the DRC Ministry of Communication and Media, the death toll from the virus has risen to 2,214, with total confirmed infections reaching 4,727-a case fatality rate of approximately 46.8 per cent. The UN and WHO have called for a strengthened health and humanitarian response, including enhanced surveillance, isolation, treatment efforts, and support for affected communities, in order to curb transmission and bring the outbreak under control.