Nearly 500 Ebola cases have now been confirmed across Central Africa, according to the World Health Organization (World Health Organization), as officials warn the outbreak is accelerating faster than containment efforts.
In its latest update, the agency reported 452 confirmed cases and 82 deaths in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where the outbreak was first declared three weeks ago. In neighbouring Uganda, authorities have recorded 19 confirmed cases, including two deaths.
The combined toll stands at 471 cases and 84 deaths, representing an increase of about 100 cases and 20 deaths within 24 hours, underscoring what health officials describe as a fast-moving and expanding epidemic.
‘Outbreak is moving fast’ – WHO warns
World Health Organization Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the situation remains critical as health agencies struggle to contain transmission.
“The outbreak is moving fast, and we are still playing catch-up,” he told reporters during a briefing.
He added: “We need to stop the outbreak where it is, support countries that are responding today, and ensure that neighbouring countries are ready to detect and act quickly if cases appear.”
“This is a serious outbreak and one we know how to stop, but we need to move fast and together.”
Risk of wider epidemic
Health experts have warned that the outbreak could still expand significantly. A senior official at the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said modelling suggested the current crisis could, without stronger interventions, reach levels comparable to West Africa’s devastating Ebola epidemic, which recorded more than 28,000 cases and over 11,000 deaths.
“That scale is possible,” said Jason Asher, director of the CDC’s Center for Forecasting and Outbreak Analytics.
Ebola, which spreads through close contact and bodily fluids, has killed more than 15,000 people across Africa over the past five decades.
Emergency response underway
The outbreak was first declared in northeastern DR Congo last month, although officials believe the virus may have circulated undetected for some time before confirmation.
Health authorities have also raised concern that the strain behind the outbreak — the rare Bundibugyo species of Ebola — currently has no approved vaccine or specific treatment.
In response, the WHO and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention have launched a $518 million (£approximate equivalent not specified) emergency plan aimed at strengthening surveillance, expanding laboratory testing, and improving infection prevention across affected regions.
Growing urgency
Aid agencies say the coming weeks will be critical in determining whether the outbreak can be contained or continues its upward trajectory across borders.
Officials have urged rapid coordination between countries, warning that delays could significantly worsen the scale of infections.
