WHO Warns Congo Ebola Could Become Deadliest on Record
The World Health Organization warned that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is on course to become the deadliest ever, having now spread to a sixth province. More than 2,000 people have died, and aid agencies warn of a lack of resources on the ground. Officials have linked the outbreak to a new animal source of infection.
The WHO’s director-general has cautioned that the epidemic could surpass the West African outbreak of 2014 to 2016, which killed more than 11,000, and its spread to a sixth province signals that containment is slipping. Effective vaccines exist, unlike in that earlier disaster, but deploying them across a vast, insecure region with weak health infrastructure is a formidable task, and Oxfam has warned that responders lack the resources they need. Mistrust of health workers and porous borders have helped the virus spread. The link to a fresh animal source underlines how such outbreaks begin and recur. International agencies are scaling up support against a narrowing window. Watch whether the response can finally slow the outbreak.