WHO Loses Control Over Ebola Outbreak in Congo

The World Health Organization has received only 40% of the requested $115 million needed to combat the Ebola outbreak in the DRC. The situation is critical: funds are catastrophically insufficient, and medical workers at the epicenter of the epidemic have issued an ultimatum over two months of unpaid salaries.

What’s happening:

• Officially, 1,926 cases and 702 deaths. However, according to WHO data, the real numbers could be 2–4 times higher: most deaths are recorded at home, not in hospitals.
• The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain – there is no vaccine or certified treatment available.

Medics on the edge: At the Rwampara center, doctors burned a tire and blocked roads. Their demand is to clear salary arrears for May and June. If funds are not received within 48 hours, they will declare a full strike with no minimum service.

This is the third-largest outbreak in history and at the same time, the fastest monthly growth ever recorded. Ihekweazu stresses:

«This is the third-largest Ebola outbreak, and we are seeing the fastest growth in a single month since the epidemic began – and among all that we have managed».

Meanwhile, neighboring Uganda has already reported 20 cases and 2 fatalities. WHO is urging donors not to abandon the DRC at this critical moment.