Ebola response in drc requires more funding — WHO chief

KINSHASA: The World Health Organisation (WHO) sees signs that measures to combat the Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are beginning to yield results, however, more funding is needed, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

"We are now starting to see encouraging signs that we are gaining ground. In the most affected parts of Ituri Province, transmission is going down.

"South Kivu has reported no new cases since May.

"More than 1,700 people have recovered, and after four months, the epidemic has been contained mostly in the northeastern DRC, with the exception of a small outbreak in Uganda that was swiftly stopped … We ask all donors to ensure that both the government's response plan and the wider humanitarian response are both fully funded," Ghebreyesus said at a briefing in Geneva on Wednesday.

According to the latest DRC government report released on Tuesday, the number of confirmed cases has reached 7,258, and 3,510 deaths have been recorded since May. — BERNAMA