The WHO reported nearly 500 confirmed cases of Ebola virus infection in Central Africa, warning that the current outbreak could become one of the largest in recorded history. Health workers are trying to contain the spread of the virus in a region where the situation continues to worsen.
The WHO has already declared the situation a public health emergency of international concern, and health workers are rushing to contain the spread of the virus across the region.
"Such a scale is quite possible," said Jason Asher, director of the Center for Disease Forecasting and Analysis, in response to a question about whether the current outbreak could become comparable in scale to the epidemic in West Africa in 2014.
In its latest update on Saturday, the WHO reported 452 confirmed cases, including 82 deaths, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where the Ebola outbreak was officially declared three weeks ago.
Neighboring Uganda has reported 19 confirmed cases and two deaths.
The total of 471 cases and 84 deaths represents an increase of 100 cases and 20 deaths in just one day, based on data published by the authorities of both countries.
The current outbreak, linked to a rare strain of the Ebola virus known as Bundibugyo, was declared on May 15 in northeastern DRC, although the virus is believed to have been spreading unnoticed for some time. There are currently no approved vaccines or treatments for this strain.
On Friday, the WHO and the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) presented a response plan costing $518 million (€449.5 million), aimed at strengthening epidemic surveillance, laboratory diagnostics, and infection prevention measures.
"The outbreak is evolving rapidly, and we are still trying to catch up with it," said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
"We need to stop the outbreak where it is now, support the countries that are fighting it today, and ensure that neighboring states are ready to quickly identify cases and act swiftly," he added. "This is a serious outbreak, and we know how to stop it, but action needs to be taken quickly and together."
