The World Health Organisation (WHO) Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, warned on Thursday that the Ebola outbreak in eastern DRC continues to expand, with 1,406 confirmed cases and 438 deaths, as violence and mistrust threaten efforts to contain the virus.
"The Ebola outbreak continues to expand, with an average of 38 new confirmed cases every day. As of today, 1,406 cases have been confirmed, and 438 people have died," Tedros told a press briefing in Geneva.
He noted that testing has expanded to 10 laboratories, treatment capacity has reached 650 beds, and a clinical trial of the experimental treatments MBP134 and remdesivir has begun.
"Despite all this progress, we continue to face significant challenges, including mistrust and violence," he added. "Just this week, an Ebola treatment centre in Ituri province was attacked, resulting in the deaths of two people. The centre was set on fire, and patients fled."
Tedros also confirmed a new Marburg virus disease case in western Uganda, detected through enhanced Ebola surveillance.
"The outbreaks of hantavirus, Ebola, and Marburg all show why there is no alternative to international cooperation in the face of international threats," he stressed.
Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, Executive Director of WHO's Health Emergencies Programme, explained that the attack followed local opposition to the burial of a community member, adding that engagement with affected communities has helped reduce similar incidents.
"We have generally seen, over the last six weeks, a reduction in these incidents and an increasing confidence in the response itself," Ihekweazu said.
"The humanitarian crisis and the infectious disease outbreak are coming together to cause challenges in responding to this outbreak," he added.
In a separate update, Tedros declared the MV Hondius hantavirus outbreak over after no new cases were reported since 25 May.
"Today, the final contact of a person exposed to hantavirus on the cruise ship MV Hondius completed their quarantine period, tested negative, and returned home," he revealed. "We are, therefore, very pleased to say that the WHO considers the hantavirus outbreak over."
The maritime hantavirus chain concluded with 13 cases and three deaths, after health authorities across 33 territories successfully tracked over 650 contacts.
The DRC and Uganda declared Ebola outbreaks on May 15, after laboratory testing confirmed Bundibugyo virus disease. WHO declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on May 17.
The outbreak is the DRC's 17th Ebola outbreak since the virus was first identified in 1976.