The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is "on track to eclipse" the 2014-2016 West Africa epidemic at its current pace, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said Wednesday.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a media briefing in Geneva that the outbreak is already the second-biggest Ebola epidemic on record and is spreading faster than any previous outbreak.
Officially, 4,449 confirmed cases and 2,061 deaths have been reported in five provinces and 53 health zones, he said.
About 90% of cases and 80% of deaths are concentrated in Ituri province, with sustained transmission in Bunia, Rwampara, Nizi, and Lita.
Tedros said a high proportion of deaths are occurring in communities rather than treatment centers and outside known contact lists, indicating unidentified chains of transmission.
The WHO and its partners are scaling up surveillance and aiming to raise contact tracing from around 80% to 95%, while treatment capacity is expected to triple to 3,000 beds within 12 weeks.
More than 21,000 community health workers have been trained, while 886 patients have recovered despite the lack of specific approved therapeutics and vaccines, according to the WHO chief.
Tedros said two vaccines designed specifically against the Bundibugyo virus have entered phase one human safety trials.
He added that $264 million of the $518 million required for the Continental Preparedness and Response Plan has been disbursed.
For his part, WHO's Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu said it is "impossible" at this stage to determine exactly when the outbreak began, and that current estimates place its start two to three months before it was officially declared.
"At the moment, the message is very clear: we are not where we need to be," said Ihekweazu, stressing the need to intensify efforts and strengthen community ownership of the response.
