WHO Updates DRC Ebola Guidance for 9 Bordering States as Risk Stays Very High

3 articles · Updated · World Health Organization (WHO) · Aug 24

WHO issued updated temporary recommendations after its 18 August Emergency Committee review, expanding guidance for the Democratic Republic of the Congo's Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak and adding a new section on social measures and domestic mobility.
The agency kept DRC's risk at "very high" as of 14 August and said no approved vaccines or therapeutics currently exist for Bundibugyo virus, making core public-health steps central to controlling transmission and deaths.
For DRC, WHO called for 24-hour investigation of outbreak alerts, daily reporting of suspected, probable and confirmed cases, 21-day contact monitoring, dedicated treatment units, safe burials, and stronger infection-control measures in health facilities and communities.
New DRC measures include postponing mass gatherings in transmission areas, limiting motorbikes to 1 passenger, opening schools safely, setting up 24/7 road health checkpoints, and expanding surveillance on inland waterways linking outbreak zones to Kinshasa.
For 9 neighboring countries, WHO urged heightened border readiness and immediate reporting of any suspected cases, while still advising against suspending flights or waterway routes or denying entry to travelers from affected areas.