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 But the WHO, in a weekly update issued subsequently, said there were
"early signs" of an easing of the intensity with which the virus is
spreading following weeks of insecurity that curbed access to
communities and interrupted vaccination.
Some 2,025 cases and 1,357 deaths have been recorded since the
epidemic began in August in the Democratic Republic of Congo's North
Kivu and Ituri provinces, said Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of
WHO's Health Emergencies Programme.
It is the second-worst outbreak of the virus on record.
Some 88 infections have been detected each of the last two weeks,
down from a peak of 126 weekly in April, and WHO teams are checking
15,000 suspected contacts each day for symptoms, he added.
"We believe, let me be very cautious here, we believe we are
probably detecting in excess of 75% of cases - we may be missing up
to a quarter of cases," Ryan told a news briefing in Geneva.
"We must get earlier detection of cases, have more exhaustive
identification of contacts," he said.
About 90% of people potentially exposed to the virus have agreed to
be vaccinated, which has proved efficient, he said. "It's not them
that matter now, it's the 10% that don't, because all of our cases
are coming from that group."
More than 130,000 people have been vaccinated to date, Congolese
figures show.
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The epidemic is "not out of control, but it is certainly not under
control," he said.
It was spreading fast in the rural area of Mabalako and at a lesser
rate in the city of Butembo.
A third of identified cases are people who died without having being
admitted to Ebola treatment centers, the WHO update said.
Ryan said risks to aid workers had decreased of late but noted a
deadly attack on civilians earlier this week.
A local official said 13 civilians were killed late on Monday in an
attack by the Allied Democratic Forces - a group thought to be
linked to Islamic State.
Greater political engagement is needed to combat the Ebola outbreak,
Ryan said. "We need the government to reach out to the opposition,
we need an 'all party' approach ... we need a single voice of
leaders in Congo about this outbreak."
(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne,
Frances Kerry and Tom Brown)
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