WHO warns Ebola outbreak could surpass 2014-2016 West Africa epidemic

The World Health Organization has declared the current Ebola outbreak the second largest ever recorded, warning it is spreading faster than any previous outbreak and could surpass the 2014-2016 West Africa epidemic in scale. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reported 4,449 confirmed cases and 2,061 deaths across five provinces and 53 health districts, with 90% of cases and 80% of deaths concentrated in Ituri province, including sustained transmission in four cities. For the first time, two Ebola-specific vaccines have entered phase one human clinical trials, while animal studies show promising cross-protection results, prompting WHO recommendations for phase three trials. Tedros also expressed concern over recent US changes to childhood vaccination policy.