WHO recommends strict measures to combat record Ebola outbreak in DRC

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommended on Monday that the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) implement enhanced social distancing, surveillance, and travel restrictions to combat the ongoing Ebola epidemic. The current outbreak, which was officially declared on May 15, has spread across six provinces and has now become the deadliest in the nation's history, resulting in over 2,500 fatalities in just three months.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus issued specific guidance urging the authorities to postpone large public gatherings and restrict motorcycle transport to a single passenger in areas where active viral transmission is reported. These recommendations follow an emergency committee meeting held last week to review the progression of the disease, which has surpassed the death toll of the 2018–2020 epidemic in the eastern part of the country. The DRC government has been tasked with strengthening its overall response infrastructure, surveillance systems, and healthcare resources to contain the rapidly escalating health crisis.