Photo : YONHAP News
The World Health Organization (WHO) has raised the risk level of the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo from “high” to “very high,” warning that the outbreak is “spreading rapidly.”
At a press briefing in Geneva on Friday, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the updated risk assessment applies to DR Congo at the national level, while the risk remains “high” for regional spread and “low” globally.
On X on Friday, the WHO chief said that out of 82 confirmed cases in DR Congo, seven have succumbed to the disease, and the number of suspected cases has risen to approximately 750, with 177 suspected deaths.
In neighboring Uganda, the situation was assessed as “stable,” with one death among two confirmed cases.
Speaking to Reuters, WHO Regional Director for Africa Mohamed Yakub Janabi warned that just one case involving the latest Bundibugyo strain could pose a global risk, as he called for global attention to the latest outbreak.