Ebola Response Sees Faster Testing and Rising Recoveries in Eastern DRC Despite Security Threats and Rising Regional Cases

Health workers who arrived in a village in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo to help bury a person who had died from Ebola were threatened and told armed rebels would be called if they stayed, forcing them to leave. Ebola test results are now available in a maximum of 48 hours.

Community alerts are first investigated in the field, and suspected cases meeting the outbreak's case definition are tested and either confirmed or ruled out.

Contact tracing rates have improved from around 25 per cent to 45 per cent. Ninety to 95 per cent coverage is needed to effectively contain transmission. Uganda has recorded 15 confirmed cases and one probable case linked to the outbreak.

One Congolese national travelled through the United Arab Emirates before arriving in Uganda. WHO's International Health Regulations help countries share information rapidly and coordinate responses, Dr. Belizaire said.

Mongbwalu is a town in Ituri province where health teams are responding to the Ebola outbreak. Many communities in affected areas have experienced years of conflict and insecurity. Some families attribute deaths to witchcraft or poisoning rather than infection.

Traditional healers are being engaged as partners in the Ebola response. Seven people have recovered from Ebola, including six healthcare workers. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus visited the outbreak's epicentre and met with a health worker who recovered from Ebola disease caused by Bundibugyo virus after discharge from a hospital in Bunia.

WHO and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention launched a joint continental preparedness and response plan on Friday. The six-month plan aims to mobilize $518 million. The plan uses a "One Response" approach bringing together governments, UN agencies, humanitarian partners and communities.