DR Congo’s Ebola outbreak crosses 10,000 cases, WHO says

The World Health Organisation says more than 10,000 cases of Bundibugyo virus disease have now been reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, underscoring the devastating scale of the outbreak, Gazette NGR reports.

WHO regional director for Africa, Mohamed Janabi, disclosed this in a statement on his official X handle on Tuesday, noting that more than 2,600 people have recovered from the disease.

Despite the grim toll, Janabi expressed optimism about controlling the outbreak, citing progress in developing new vaccine and treatment candidates for Bundibugyo virus disease through ongoing clinical trials.

He said efforts to strengthen laboratory testing, treatment capacity, infection prevention and control, community engagement and surveillance were continuing across affected areas to support the response and limit further transmission.

According to Janabi, WHO teams were working closely with the DRC government and partners to interrupt transmission and save lives through coordinated public health interventions and sustained response efforts.

He stressed that sustained commitment, community trust, solidarity and safe access to affected communities remained essential to ending the outbreak and protecting vulnerable populations from further infection and death.

The update comes amid growing concern across Africa over the spread of the Bundibugyo strain, which has also been confirmed in Nigeria, Uganda and Kenya in recent weeks, prompting heightened screening and surveillance measures at national borders and health facilities.