Ebola outbreak: WHO chief warns medical teams ‘playing catch-up’ as infections surpass 900

The World Health Organisation's Director-General has warned the Ebola epidemic sweeping through the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda is spreading faster than containment efforts can manage.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus addressed an African Union virtual meeting on Monday, revealing that an estimated 220 people have now succumbed to the disease.

The WHO chief explained delayed case detection has left medical teams "playing catch-up", adding conditions will probably deteriorate further before any improvement materialises.

Suspected infections in the DRC have exceeded 900, with the eastern Ituri province bearing the brunt of the crisis. Confirmed cases there now number more than 100.

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Tedros announced plans to travel to Congo on Tuesday alongside Chikwe Ihekweazu, the WHO's senior health emergencies official.

Uganda has now recorded seven Ebola infections, health officials confirmed on Monday after announcing two additional cases.

The outbreak's spread to Uganda traces back to a 59-year-old Congolese man who arrived at a Kampala hospital on May 11. He died three days later, before doctors realised he was carrying the virus.

Two further Congolese nationals who sought treatment in Uganda subsequently tested positive for the disease.

The first locally transmitted cases emerged on Saturday, when authorities confirmed a driver and a healthcare worker had contracted Ebola through exposure to the initial patient.

Monday's announcement revealed that two more medical staff at a private Kampala hospital have also tested positive.

All Ugandan cases remain linked to the DRC outbreak, which authorities believe began days or weeks before the official declaration on May 15.

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Response efforts face severe obstacles from violent attacks on healthcare facilities, with three separate incidents occurring within a single week.

On Sunday evening, armed young men stormed Mongbwalu General Hospital, demanding the release of relatives' bodies. Medical staff were forced to evacuate patients amid gunfire.

"Mongbwalu General Hospital is on general alert," Dr Richard Lokudu, the facility's medical director, told the Associated Press.

The previous day, residents in the same town set ablaze a Doctors Without Borders tent housing Ebola patients. Eighteen individuals with suspected infections fled during the chaos and remain unaccounted for.

On Thursday, a treatment centre in Rwampara was destroyed by fire after families were prevented from collecting a deceased relative's remains.

The Congolese government has implemented strict measures to combat transmission, mandating that authorities handle burials of suspected victims wherever feasible. On Friday, officials announced a prohibition on funeral wakes and gatherings exceeding 50 people across the northeastern region.

The Bundibugyo strain responsible for this outbreak currently has no approved vaccine or treatment available. However, Oxford University researchers are developing a vaccine that could enter clinical trials within two to three months, according to a WHO spokesperson.

The global health body has elevated its risk assessment for Congo from "high" to "very high", although it maintains the likelihood of worldwide spread remains low.

The WHO has designated the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.

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