Ebola cases top 1,000 with 254 deaths, says WHO

The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda has now passed 1,000 confirmed cases. Since May 15, 254 people have died from the virus.

Tedros Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), shared this update on the organisation’s official X account on Tuesday. He mentioned that response efforts are still ongoing in the affected countries.

“Ebola update: more than 1000 confirmed cases have been reported in DRC, including 254 deaths. 100 patients have recovered so far, which shows that for many, the virus can be stopped with timely health care,” he said.

Mr Ghebreyesus explained that WHO, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), and other partners are helping the DRC Ministry of Health. They are working to improve treatment, laboratory tests, and surveillance efforts.

He added that this support would train more health workers in clinical care and infection prevention. They are also focusing on getting the community involved and improving public understanding of how to prevent the disease.

“But much more is needed: more treatment centres, more trained healthcare workers, more testing, more teams from within communities supporting communities,” he said.

“We need sustained and safe access to reach all affected people.

“We need continued solidarity from the international community to end this outbreak. And ultimately, we need peace for the people of DRC.”

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Bundibugyo virus disease comes from the Bundibugyo ebolavirus. It spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected people.

Unlike some other Ebola virus types, there is no licensed vaccine for the Bundibugyo strain. This means early detection, isolation, and strict infection prevention measures are very important for controlling the outbreak.