KINSHASA, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- The World Health Organization (WHO) warned Tuesday that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) remains far from under control, with the country having reported more than 5,000 confirmed cases and 2,378 deaths.
As of Aug. 16, the DRC had reported 5,021 confirmed cases across 55 health zones in six provinces, with a case fatality rate of 47.4 percent, according to the latest report released by the WHO Regional Office for Africa on Tuesday.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the outbreak was "far from being under control" and had gained a considerable lead over response efforts, warning of a high risk of further spread within the country and internationally.
Tedros made the remarks at the opening of a meeting of a WHO emergency committee convened to review the outbreak, which the agency declared a public health emergency of international concern on May 17.
The WHO said the outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo ebolavirus, for which there is currently no approved vaccine or treatment, was declared by DRC authorities on May 15, is already the largest of its kind ever recorded and the second-largest Ebola outbreak globally, while transmission remains intense and has yet to enter a clear declining phase.
The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said Monday that the outbreak could become the deadliest Ebola epidemic ever recorded globally unless its trajectory is urgently reversed.
"It is now taking approximately one life every 30 minutes," the Africa CDC said. "Unless its trajectory is urgently reversed, it risks becoming the deadliest Ebola outbreak ever recorded globally."
