The United Nations warned on Thursday that an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo was continuing to expand, with more than 5,200 confirmed cases and nearly 2,500 deaths recorded by national authorities as of August 18.
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said the government and humanitarian partners were scaling up their response, including tripling safe care capacity, strengthening community engagement and doubling safe burial teams.
The government also launched the “Congo River Without Ebola” initiative with UN support to strengthen surveillance and preparedness along the vital transport route.
The World Health Organization has allocated 70,000 doses of the Ervebo vaccine to protect frontline health workers and support a clinical trial against the Bundibugyo ebolavirus, the main source of cases.
Dujarric said insecurity, poor transport and limited attention were hampering efforts, urging news organizations to highlight the outbreak and its threat to neighboring countries.
