The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is far from under control, with the virus spreading into new provinces and threatening health systems already struggling with limited resources, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) warns.
While new admissions are declining in some areas, MSF says the national number of new cases has not fallen, raising concern that undetected transmission chains could fuel further spread.
The warning comes as DRC faces its largest recorded Ebola outbreak, with more than 7,200 confirmed cases and 3,500 deaths reported since May, according to MSF.
Anthony Kergosien, MSF emergency coordinator in DRC, says fewer patients in some Ebola treatment centres should not be mistaken for the end of the outbreak.
“The outbreak is not shrinking, it is moving,” Kergosien said, pointing to the emergence of cases in South Ubangi and rising infections in North Kivu.
The situation calls for sustained surveillance, rapid case detection, treatment, contact tracing and stronger infection-prevention measures, particularly in newly affected areas where health services are less prepared.
MSF says its rapid-response teams are working to detect and contain new clusters, but warns that its efforts alone cannot meet the growing needs of the outbreak.
The World Health Organization (WHO), UN agencies and other partners are being urged to increase operational support and strengthen the wider Ebola response.
For DRC and its neighbours, the message is clear: a decline in cases in one area must not become a reason to lower vigilance elsewhere.
