The Democratic Republic of Congo's Ebola outbreak could end by September, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, PhD, said during a March 14 news conference, according to Reuters.
Three things to know:
1. The rate of new Ebola cases is slowing, with most illnesses occurring in the cities of Butembo and Katwa.
"We have averted a much larger outbreak," Dr. Tedros said. "Our target now is to finish it within the next six months."
2. The Ebola outbreak, which started in August 2018, represents the second worst outbreak of the disease in history. As of March 12, the WHO reported 927 confirmed and probable Ebola infections linked to the outbreak, including 584 deaths.
3. Dr. Tedros said the WHO will stay in the Congo after the outbreak ends to help the country develop better healthcare services to combat issues like cholera and malaria.
"I'd actually like to call upon the international community to link the outbreak control now with developing the health system," Dr. Tedros said. "Otherwise we will appear as if we are preventing Ebola [from] getting into other countries, and we don't care about the demands of the community."