WHO's Tedros says Ebola response must be scaled up to tackle Congo outbreak

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Sept. 2 that the Ebola response in the Democratic Republic of Congo must be scaled up, warning that transmission chains are still not fully known or interrupted. Speaking in Geneva, he said the epidemic will continue to threaten DRC, neighbors and the region until every chain is found and broken. Government data showed deaths have surpassed 3,000 as the outbreak spreads across the northeast. Caused by the Bundibugyo species, it is the worst in Congo’s history and now second only to the 2014–2016 West African outbreak. Tedros urged accelerating funding for the Congo-led plan seeking $1.3 billion.