Congo Ebola Outbreak Shows Signs of Slowing, but WHO Says the Crisis Is Far From Over
The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is beginning to slow in some areas, but health officials warn that it is far too early to say the epidemic has passed its peak. More than 7,200 confirmed cases have been recorded across seven provinces.
The outbreak remains the second deadliest Ebola epidemic ever recorded, behind the 2014–2016 outbreak in West Africa.
Daily Ebola cases have started to fall
According to Reuters, Congolese government figures published on September 15 showed 7,258 confirmed cases and 3,510 deaths.
Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba said daily infections had declined from around 120 at the mid-August peak to approximately 80. Ten of the 62 affected health zones had also reported no new cases for more than 22 days.
North Kivu remains a major concern
The improvement is not uniform across the country. United Nations officials say the situation in parts of Ituri has improved considerably, while infections continue to rise in North Kivu.
North Kivu had recorded 1,269 confirmed cases, including 555 reported during the 21 days leading up to September 12. High population density, movement between communities and the region's difficult security situation are complicating the response.
WHO says it is too early to declare a turning point
The World Health Organization continues to describe Ebola as a severe infectious disease that requires rapid detection, isolation, treatment and contact tracing.
WHO officials cautioned that previous Ebola outbreaks have sometimes improved temporarily before accelerating again. Bringing the current epidemic fully under control could therefore still take months, even if the decline in infections continues in some affected areas.
