Papal appeal amid spiraling DRC Ebola outbreak as vaccines roll in
DRC’s Ebola outbreak has risen to 5,515 confirmed cases and 2,642 deaths (case fatality rate around 48%), with vaccine deliveries underway (16,250 doses arrived and 70,000 pledged) to tackle the Bundibugyo strain. Contact tracing improved to over 85%, but violence, displacement and attacks on health workers hinder containment. The WHO declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, and Pope Leo urged global and local action to save lives as the response scales up, even as global risk remains low and internal risk stays high.
