An Ebola outbreak declared in the DR Congo in early September has caused 42 deaths out of 64 confirmed cases.
The risk of it spreading in the region is moderate, the WHO said today.
Health authorities in DR Congo began rolling out a vaccine programme against the often fatal virus two weeks ago.
The highly contagious haemorrhagic fever has killed some 15,000 people in Africa over the past 50 years.
The deadliest Ebola outbreak in the DRC, between 2018 and 2020, killed nearly 2,300 people.
Last month’s vaccination campaign followed the announcement of a resurgence of the disease in the central province of Kasai.
‘Increased Risk Of Spread’
World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus posted on X that “at this time, 64 people have had Ebola in the DRC, of which 42 have died.”
He added that the UN health agency and its partners are supporting the government-led response.
The WHO estimates a risk of further spread as high on a national level but moderate in the wider region.
It says the outbreak is fuelled by insufficient protective equipment, incomplete contact tracing, late detection, and unsafe burial practices.
It added that high population mobility in the country and reliance on traditional healers, increased the risk of spread.
Ebola is a deadly viral disease spread through direct contact with bodily fluids, causing severe bleeding and organ failure.
It was first identified in 1976 and thought to have crossed over from bats.
The WHO estimated the mortality rate for the latest outbreak at 45.7% compared with between 25 and 90 for previous outbreaks.
The Zaire strain of the virus, for which there is a vaccine, is behind the new outbreak.
The WHO says the International Coordination Group on Vaccine Supply has approved shipment of 45,000 more doses to DRC.
The group manages the global stockpile of vaccines against several viruses, including Ebola,
