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WHO Calls for Expanded Ebola Efforts as Cases in Congo Hit 6,250 GENEVA / RankWire.AI / – In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the World Health Organization has urged a significant scaling-up of the Ebola response as the number of confirmed cases reaches 6,250. According to Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, health teams still have not mapped every chain of transmission. As of Sept. 1, the government’s latest figures show Congo has recorded 6,250 confirmed cases and 3,039 fatalities. The outbreak in Bundibugyo now spans 60 health zones across six provinces.

In Kisangani, the capital of Tshopo Province, health authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo launched a focused Ebola vaccination campaign this week, aiming to contain the country’s most severe outbreak to date. Priority is given to frontline healthcare workers, emergency responders, and individuals with direct contact with confirmed cases. Health Minister Roger Kamba confirmed that the government has begun immunizing personnel using doses of the Ervebo vaccine to protect those operating in the affected eastern regions.

EU diagnostic support expands as health authorities respond to the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak. The PCR testing kits will be sent to the World Health Organization’s Hub for Global Health Emergencies Logistics based in Dubai. WHO will oversee the distribution to the regions involved in Ebola response activities. PCR testing is crucial for confirming infections, as laboratories can handle large sample volumes with high precision. Additionally, this equipment integrates seamlessly with existing laboratory infrastructure. Rapid confirmation of cases allows health teams to identify infected patients promptly, facilitate appropriate treatment and isolation, and conduct contact tracing around confirmed cases.

DR Congo expands its Ebola response as Bundibugyo cases spread across six provinces. Following a request from the Congolese government, the International Coordinating Group on Vaccine Provision approved the release of these doses after the country’s request from the global Ebola stockpile. WHO mentioned that 20,000 doses are allocated to support a Phase 3 clinical trial focusing on Bundibugyo virus disease, while the remaining 50,000 doses are designated for frontline health workers in accordance with current vaccination guidelines. Both WHO and Africa CDC welcomed this decision, announced on Aug. 20.

Congo’s Ebola outbreak could still be controlled within three months, provided response efforts are adequately resourced. The latest official data reports 5,021 confirmed cases and 2,378 deaths. The outbreak now spans 55 health zones across six provinces, with a case fatality ratio reaching 47.4%. This makes it the most deadly Ebola outbreak in Congo’s history and the second-largest Ebola epidemic recorded worldwide. Officials have indicated that 70% to 80% of new cases have no known links to existing patients. To accelerate case detection and patient transfers to treatment facilities, health teams are broadening surveillance efforts.

DRC malaria response targets a disease that caused more than 26 million cases in 2025. The National Malaria Control Programme published these data as health officials expanded malaria response strategies in Ituri. Dembo highlighted the importance of maintaining control measures while intensifying interventions that have already demonstrated effectiveness. He also stressed the need for approaches tailored to the specific conditions of individual health zones. The initiative in Ituri focuses on mass distribution of antimalarial medications. The campaign forms part of broader efforts aimed at preventing and treating malaria. The programme manages national actions geared toward decreasing infection rates, severe illnesses, and malaria-related mortality. According to World Health Organization, an estimated 282 million malaria cases occurred globally in 2024, with approximately 610,000 deaths. Africa accounted for roughly 95% of both cases and fatalities that year, with an estimated 265 million cases and 579,000 deaths recorded in the region. The Democratic Republic of the Congo represented 11.7% of malaria-related deaths within Africa. WHO data also indicates that children under five years old made up about three quarters of malaria fatalities across the continent. These statistics position the DRC among the countries with the highest malaria burdens worldwide. The malaria burden remains predominantly in Africa Malaria primarily spreads through bites from infected female Anopheles mosquitoes and remains both preventable and treatable. Its early symptoms often include fever, chills, and headaches. In severe cases, infections can lead to breathing difficulties, seizures, extreme fatigue,

In Central Africa, the escalating health emergency is progressing at an unprecedented pace, according to assessments shared by global health authorities on Friday. The World Health Organization has warned that if swift measures are not taken to contain community transmission and address disruptions in regional supply chains, the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Ebola outbreak could surpass all previous fatality numbers. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated that the current epidemic’s course risks exceeding the devastating 2014–2016 West African outbreak, which caused over 11,000 deaths.

As of August 7, the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has resulted in 1,916 fatalities with a total of 4,209 confirmed cases, according to official figures. The death toll has increased by 29 compared to the 1,887 reported in the previous update. Health officials also noted that 595 patients are currently receiving care in isolation, while 828 individuals have recovered from the Bundibugyo virus disease outbreak.

In Chad, health officials have confirmed an urgent waterborne health emergency that has resulted in 13 deaths since late last month, when official public statements were first issued. According to recent surveillance data published by the Ministry of Public Health of Chad, epidemiological tracking indicates that a cholera outbreak has caused 13 fatalities across the country, with confirmed and suspected cases rising to 239. The reported case fatality rate stands at 5.4 percent, markedly higher than international public health standards for emergency response.

During 2022 in Belgium, obesity was associated with 9,509 fatalities, accounting for 8.2 percent of the country’s overall mortality, according to recent data from the Belgian public health institute Sciensano. This marks the first systematic effort by public health researchers in Belgium to quantify deaths directly linked to high body mass index (BMI). The report indicates that weight-related health issues resulted in more than one death every hour across the nation. It also estimates that excessive BMI caused over 150,000 years of life lost in a single year across all demographic groups.