Ebola Crisis in Congo Deepens as WHO Meets President

The World Health Organization’s top official is traveling to the Democratic Republic of Congo to talk with President Felix Tshisekedi about a serious Ebola problem. The outbreak is the third biggest ever seen in the country. Health workers say it may have gone unnoticed for months before anyone noticed. When WHO Director‑General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus arrived last week, he urged more help from other countries. He visited Ituri province where the first cases appeared and called for better tracking, testing, and care. Both WHO and the Congolese government said they are working hard to improve detection, isolation, contact tracing, safe burials, infection control in hospitals and community awareness. Official numbers show 906 suspected cases and 223 deaths under investigation. The government reports 282 confirmed cases, 42 of them dead. Ituri province alone has 264 confirmed cases; other provinces have fewer. An aid group, the International Rescue Committee, warns that the real number could be much higher.They say the virus might have spread for up to three months before it was first detected in mid‑May. Only about 20 % of people who might have been exposed are being traced, making it hard to stop new chains of infection. Rachel Howard from the aid group explains that missing 80 % of contacts makes it almost impossible to control the outbreak or know its true size. Congo’s health workers are experienced with past Ebola strains but not with the Bundibugyo type that is currently circulating. There is no approved vaccine for this strain. The global health group CEPI plans to give about $60 million to Moderna and two other companies to speed up vaccine development for Bundibugyo. They hope trials could begin in a few months. China also said it would send medical specialists to help fight the disease. Four nurses who had been infected have now recovered and left the hospital in Bunia. The situation remains urgent, and international cooperation is essential to keep the virus from spreading further.