The United Nations has warned that the global response to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) must urgently move faster than the virus as the death toll approaches 3,000.
UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher said the outbreak was spreading faster than containment efforts despite a major increase in response activities by humanitarian agencies and Congolese authorities.
Ebola spreads through direct contact with the blood or bodily fluids of an infected person or contaminated materials, making early detection, isolation and treatment crucial to stopping transmission.
“The response is growing and has been scaled up, but the virus is moving faster,” Fletcher said.
“And unless we scale up urgently, more lives will be lost and the threat will grow.”
DRC authorities reported more than 6,100 confirmed cases and 2,950 deaths by Monday, with over 5,000 infections recorded in Ituri Province.
The figures highlight the rapid spread of the outbreak, which was declared in the DRC on May 15.
Fletcher said controlling the epidemic would require sustained political commitment, unrestricted humanitarian access and increased international funding.
“We have the experience, the tools and extraordinary people risking their lives to stop this epidemic. What we need now is political will, access and resources,” he said.
The UN official urged governments to ensure humanitarian workers can reach affected communities, particularly in areas where insecurity and poor infrastructure are making the response more difficult.
He also called on the international community to keep Ebola high on the global agenda to prevent further spread.
Humanitarian agencies are facing a funding shortfall of about $1.1 billion, limiting efforts to expand surveillance, treatment, community mobilisation and cross-border preparedness.
Fletcher said more than $57 million had been allocated from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund to support response and preparedness efforts in the DRC and neighbouring countries.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation recently declared Uganda’s latest Ebola outbreak over after a response that included rapid detection, contact tracing, isolation, clinical care and strengthened surveillance.
The UN International Organization for Migration has also conducted nearly 23 million health screenings in the DRC and neighbouring countries to monitor population movements, identify possible cases and reduce the risk of cross-border transmission.
“We have beaten Ebola before, and we can do it again,” Fletcher said.
