The World Health Organization (WHO) has said efforts to contain the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo are gradually improving, even as significant operational challenges persist.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday, June 3, that the response was beginning to gain momentum despite what he described as a “big head start” for the outbreak.
He spoke to reporters in Geneva after visiting Ituri province, the epicentre of the outbreak. He noted improvements in coordination among government officials, health workers, community leaders and international partners, while acknowledging persistent weaknesses in contact tracing, surveillance and public trust.
According to WHO data, 344 confirmed Ebola cases and 60 deaths have been recorded across 24 health zones in three provinces of DRC. Uganda has also reported 15 confirmed cases and one death.
The Agency said suspected cases have declined sharply to 116 from more than 1,000 within a week, as health teams clear a backlog of investigations. WHO’s risk assessment remains very high at national level, high regionally, and low globally.
Tedros said six patients have recovered in DR Congo and two in Uganda, underscoring that survival is possible with early treatment and timely access to care. However, he warned that only about 45% of identified contacts are currently being followed up, far below the over 90% threshold needed to effectively control transmission.
He also urged countries to reconsider blanket travel restrictions, saying they are disrupting supply chains and slowing response operations, and instead recommended targeted exit screening at airports, ports and border crossings. Community engagement, he added, remains critical, noting that misinformation persists in some areas where Ebola is still not widely believed.
Tedros stressed that ending the outbreak requires stronger leadership, trust and partnership, alongside medical interventions such as vaccines and treatments. He also cautioned that broader health threats, including malaria, malnutrition, pneumonia, diarrhoeal diseases, HIV and diabetes, must not be neglected in affected communities.