World Health Organization director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned in Geneva that the Ebola outbreak in central Africa has a “big head-start,” and that health authorities remain behind the virus. Returning from a visit to Ituri Province in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo — the outbreak epicenter — Tedros said teams are “catching up” and he was encouraged by local commitment, but stressed that “we need to move faster.”
The outbreak has spread beyond Ituri into North and South Kivu provinces in DR Congo and across the border into Uganda. Health officials say the current wave is driven by the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which there are currently no approved vaccines or specific treatments. Since the outbreak began in mid-May, DR Congo has confirmed 344 cases and 60 deaths. The number of suspected cases in the country has fallen to 166 from a prior high of 906.
Authorities are racing to expand testing, trace and isolate contacts, and accelerate research into treatments and vaccines targeting the Bundibugyo strain. Isolation of contacts and improved laboratory capacity are priorities as teams work to contain transmission in affected regions.
The outbreak has also provoked controversy in Kenya, where the US government plans to build a quarantine facility at Laikipia airbase to isolate people who have visited DR Congo. The project sparked protests and a court order halting construction, with some Kenyans accusing foreign actors of exploiting the country. Kenyan Health Minister Aden Duale told parliament the isolation center will proceed and said the facility would be available for Kenyans as well as foreigners, describing Laikipia as one of 23 quarantine centers the government plans to build.
The US Embassy in Nairobi said it is working with Kenyan authorities to address objections and the court order. Reuters reported that at least 20 flights carrying medical specialists, engineers, lab experts and construction workers have landed at the base, though no patients have been brought there.
WHO and regional authorities continue to urge faster, coordinated action to expand testing, trace contacts, isolate cases, and accelerate development of countermeasures for the Bundibugyo strain to prevent further spread.