More than 80% of new Ebola cases in Congo detected outside contact lists: WHO

More than 80% of new Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo are being detected outside known contact lists, indicating that transmission chains are still being missed, the World Health Organization (WHO) chief said Thursday.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the outbreak, declared two months ago, has become the "third-largest" Ebola outbreak on record and is spreading "faster than any previous epidemic" of Ebola.

"So far, 2,073 cases have been reported, with 796 deaths," he said at a news conference in Geneva, noting that the 2018-2019 outbreak in Congo took more than 10 months to reach 2,000 confirmed cases.

Tedros said "intense transmission" in Ituri province remains the WHO's "biggest concern," and that about two-thirds of deaths occur in communities among people who never receive treatment at health facilities.

Despite the worsening outbreak, Tedros highlighted progress in the response, including expanding laboratory capacity from one facility to 16, increasing treatment capacity to more than 800 beds and raising contact follow-up rates to nearly 80%.

He also cited clinical trials of vaccines and treatments, including the ChAdOx1 vaccine -- whose first safety trial began Monday, monoclonal antibody MBP134, remdesivir and the antiviral obeldesivir.

"Even without approved vaccines and treatments, 377 people have recovered, showing that with early diagnosis and safe care, this disease can be survived and stopped," he added.

The WHO chief warned, however, that the outbreak continues to outpace the response and appealed for international support to fill a funding gap exceeding $400 million.

"This is not charity, it's an investment in national security," said Tedros.

He also stated that active armed conflict is hampering access to the affected areas and hindering the response. "Just yesterday, a treatment center in Bunia was attacked," he said.

Returning to Uganda, he said the last confirmed case is being discharged from care today, starting the 42-day countdown to the end of that country’s outbreak, with 20 cases and two deaths.