At its Geneva headquarters, World Health Organization Director‑General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus highlighted “encouraging signs” in the fight against the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He noted that transmission is decreasing in Ituri province, where the most affected areas are finally seeing a drop in new infections.

Progress in Ituri and South Kivu

“We are now starting to see encouraging signs that we are gaining ground in the most affected parts of Ituri province. Transmission is going down,” Tedros told reporters. South Kivu has reported no new cases since May, marking a significant pause in the spread.

Rising threat in North Kivu

Despite the positive trend in the east, the situation remains dire elsewhere. In North Kivu, the WHO chief warned that “cases are rising fast,” with weekly case counts nearly doubling over the past two weeks—from about 100 to more than 200. He emphasized that the epidemic is not a single outbreak but “many outbreaks in many places.”

Overall, more than 7,200 cases and over 3,500 deaths have been reported across seven provinces since the outbreak began. Tedros stressed that the epidemic continues to grow and kill, underscoring the need for sustained international support and rapid response.

Expert perspective

Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO’s director for epidemic and pandemic management, urged cautious optimism while acknowledging the long road ahead. “We can be cautiously optimistic about what is happening, but I think we need to be realistic about the road that’s ahead of us,” she said, noting that tracking trends takes time.

Last week, Congolese officials confirmed that the outbreak, the fastest‑growing on record, has now spread to seven provinces and shows no sign of slowing. The WHO and partner agencies continue to mobilize resources, reinforce surveillance, and accelerate vaccination efforts to contain the virus.

Original reporting: Alexandria, VA News – WTOP News — read the source article.