The World Health Organization has warned that the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has reached a critical level, with global coordination now required.
Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, Executive Director of the WHO Health Emergencies Programme, gave the update during an interview on ARISE NEWS on Tuesday.
He said the outbreak has met the threshold for a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, a rare designation used for serious global health threats.
“This event, this outbreak, is serious. It requires a coordinated international response.”
“Sadly, it has already spread to other countries. All the criteria have been fulfilled.”
The outbreak has recorded over 300 confirmed cases and is spreading across multiple provinces in the DRC.
Spread Across Regions And Borders
Ihekweazu explained that the scale of the outbreak makes containment more difficult.
“There are over 300 confirmed cases already.”
“It’s spread out around three provinces in the DRC.”
He added that each affected province is comparable in size to a Nigerian state, increasing the complexity of response efforts.
Uganda is the only country outside the DRC to report confirmed cases linked to the outbreak.
“There have been a few confirmed cases in Uganda.”
“All of them are linked back to the cluster here in the DRC.”
Global Response And Containment Efforts
The World Health Organization (WHO) and partners are scaling up emergency response measures to contain the virus.
These include surveillance, treatment, vaccination campaigns, and cross-border monitoring.
“What we’re doing is working very hard to scale up our response in order to contain it.”
“It is a very serious event… requiring a global response in solidarity with the people of the DRC.”
Ihekweazu called on countries to support containment efforts through funding, logistics, and expertise.
“It means that everyone around the world has to pull their resources together.”
He said stopping the outbreak at its source remains the most effective way to prevent global spread.
“We can protect every other country around the world if we focus our energies in controlling the outbreak itself.”
Ebola, a severe viral disease with high fatality rates, has triggered multiple emergencies in Africa over the past decade.
Health officials say early containment and international cooperation remain key to limiting its impact.
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