Ebola had 'big head-start' but response catching up: WHO

The Ebola outbreak in central Africa had a "big head start," according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) chief, who addressed this in a recent press conference. The WHO director stated that the situation has seen some progress despite the challenging beginning.

Since the start of the outbreak in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on May 15, there have been 359 confirmed cases, including 61 fatalities. However, experts believe these figures may be much lower than reality because the virus was probably spreading undetected before officials noticed it.

"The outbreak beat us to the starting line," commented WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus during a briefing at the UN health agency’s office in Geneva. Though he admitted they’re lagging, he also highlighted that they're rapidly closing the gap.

Returning from a visit to the region, Tedros mentioned his tour through DRC and how impressed he was by the local dedication. Yet, he cautioned, "This virus is running ahead of our efforts, we need to step up our game."

But challenges remain, he said, warning that “the virus is ahead of us… we need to move faster”.

It has been clear from the start that the difficulties would be daunting, with the outbreak concentrated in Ituri, where decades of armed conflicts have forced millions of people from their homes and into crowded camps.