WHO sees encouraging signs in DRC Ebola fight but warns outbreak grows

The World Health Organization reported Wednesday that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is showing encouraging signs of slowing in its epicenter, but warned the epidemic continues to grow as cases surge in a key eastern province and spread to new areas. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a news conference in Geneva that transmission is declining in the worst-affected parts of Ituri province, the outbreak's origin. "We are now starting to see encouraging signs that we are gaining ground," he said. However, he emphasized the outbreak is far from over, with more than 7,200 confirmed cases and over 3,500 deaths recorded across seven provinces as of September 11. The situation presents a mixed picture. While Ituri shows improvement, North Kivu province is experiencing a rapid increase in infections. Tedros stated that weekly cases in North Kivu have nearly doubled over the past two weeks, from about 100 to more than 200. "The area is so vast that it is hard to speak of a single epidemic. It is many outbreaks, in many places," he said. The outbreak, declared in mid-May, is caused by the Bundibugyo species of Ebola.