WHO is concerned that the Ebola outbreak may have spread beyond Congo

The World Health Organization (WHO) has expressed concern that the recent outbreak of the Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo may have spread beyond the country’s borders.

According to the world health body, investigations into this outbreak revealed wider transmission than previously thought.

WHO representative Anne Ancia was quoted as saying, “The more we investigated this outbreak, the more we realized that it had spread at least a little across the border and also in other provinces.”

He described Ituri province, the epicenter of the outbreak, as “a very unsafe area with a lot of population movement”, making efforts to trace infections and contain the disease more difficult.

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He added that the outbreak had also spread to South Kivu province, a region already grappling with a protracted humanitarian crisis.

The outbreak, which has killed at least 131 people, has raised global concerns following reports of cross-border transmission to neighboring Uganda, where one death has been recorded.

Officials said more than 513 Ebola cases were suspected in Congo as of Tuesday.

The WHO recently declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern, citing increased spread of the virus and increased risk of cross-border transmission.

However, the organization noted that the outbreak does not yet meet the threshold for a pandemic emergency under the International Health Regulations.

There is currently no vaccine for the strain of Ebola that caused this latest outbreak, although WHO said it was evaluating whether existing drugs could provide some level of protection.