The World Health Organisation has issued a grave warning that the Ebola outbreak raging in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo is likely to keep expanding after being linked to more than 130 fatalities, with the deadly hemorrhagic virus probably circulating undetected for nearly two months before health authorities officially identified its resurgence. According to WHO’s regional emergency director, speaking from Bunia on Thursday, the first laboratory-confirmed cases were only reported three weeks ago, but retrospective epidemiological investigations now suggest the virus has been silently transmitting within communities since late March. “We are effectively chasing a fire that started long before we saw the first smoke,” the official told reporters. The epicenter lies in rural, hard-to-reach areas of Ituri province, where armed group activity, limited healthcare infrastructure, and community mistrust have severely hampered containment efforts. Over 130 deaths have been epidemiologically linked to the outbreak, though not all have been laboratory confirmed due to testing delays. WHO warned that without immediate international funding and rapid response scaling, the virus could spill across borders into Uganda, Rwanda, or South Sudan. Vaccination ring teams are being deployed, but officials admit they are racing against a virus that has already gained a dangerous head start. “Every day of delay costs lives,” the WHO official added, calling for urgent global attention before the outbreak escalates into a regional crisis.
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