We and our partners do the following data processing based on your consent: store and/or access information on a device, personalised advertising and content, advertising and content measurement, audience research and services development WHO sees 'encouraging signs' in DR Congo Ebola response but says outbreak 'far from over' The World Health Organization said Wednesday that the fight against the Ebola outbreak in DR Congo was showing “encouraging signs" but that the epidemic was "far from over". More than 7,000 cases have been reported across seven provinces as of September 11. File - A medical worker dressed in personal protective equipment walks within the emergency unit at the Katwa Ebola treatment center, in the North Kivu province, DR Congo, on September 10, 2026. © Gradel Muyisa Mumbere, The World Health Organization said on Wednesday there were encouraging signs measures to contain an Ebolaepidemic in DR Congo were gaining ground, though it warned the outbreak was "far from over".
Transmission was declining in the most affected parts of Ituri province, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. "We are now starting to see encouraging signs that we are gaining ground," he said in a conference call but warned the outbreak could still spread in a region with very high population mobility. DR Congo had reported more than 7,000 confirmed Ebolacases as of September 11.
The outbreak, the second most lethal on record behind one in West Africa that lasted from 2014 to 2016, has spread to a seventh province. Improved surveillance could lead to an increase in detected cases, while contact-tracing efforts had also increased, said Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO's acting director of epidemic and pandemic threat management. "We have many, many months ahead of us," Van Kerkhove said.
"This is far from over." Ebola epidemic in DR Congo is spreading 18 times faster than deadliest outbreak on record To display this content from YouTube, you must enable advertisement tracking and audience measurement. One of your browser extensions seems to be blocking the video player from loading. To watch this content, you may need to disable it on this site.
More than 3,000 healthcare and frontline workers had already been vaccinated with Merck's Ervebo, said Meg Doherty, WHO's director of science, research, evidence and quality for health. Ervebo is licensed against Zaire ebolavirus, but its effectiveness against the Bundibugyo virus driving the current outbreak is not known. Doherty said an observational study involving frontline workers was expected to begin shortly to assess the vaccine's effectiveness, while a separate mid-to-late-stage trial, led by Congo's National Institute of Biomedical Research with other partners, was expected to get under way in the coming weeks.
Ervebo will be among the first vaccines evaluated for efficacy in the trial, followed by other vaccine candidates specifically targeting Bundibugyo Ebola, she said. These include candidates from Moderna and one from the University of Oxford. Ebola outbreak in DR Congo growing 'exponentially' as death toll passes 2,500 Eye on Africa## Ebola outbreak started three months before official declaration, WHO says 1. 1 ## NATO downs drone over Lithuania As it happened Europe 2. 2 ## Macron, Carney to visit North Atlantic French islands after Trump's map post Americas 3. 3 ## US Space Force confirms weapons deployed in space for first time Americas 4. 4 ## France apologises for diplomatic spat with US to lift block on new ambassador to Washington France 5. 5 ## Saudi Arabia vows to hit back ‘firmly’ after Houthi attacks As it happened Middle East 6. 6 ## Sweden's centre-left holds razor-thin edge as exit polls show tight race Europe © 2026 Copyright France 24 - All rights reserved.
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