“It is still in the expansion phase, unfortunately. We would like to say it is stabilising, but frankly we cannot say it yet,” Ancia told a press conference in Geneva on Tuesday.
“Transmission is still ongoing.”
Speaking from Bunia, the capital of Ituri, she said the fight against the outbreak was facing major challenges.
“Population movements, persistent insecurity, and the fragility of the health system continue to complicate efforts to bring the outbreak under control,” she said.
“Humanitarian needs remain substantial, particularly regarding civilian protection, access to food, and essential health services, while other diseases such as malaria and measles continue to spread.”
She said there were now around 700 beds across 22 treatment centres, with efforts under way to add 300 more beds.
The centres are operating at around 90 percent capacity, “placing significant pressure on the response,” said Ancia.
More than 10,000 contacts of infected people are being monitored, at a follow-up rate of 82 percent. The WHO believes a rate of 95 percent is needed to get on top of the outbreak.
Laboratory capacity has increased from 30 tests per day in the capital Kinshasa to more than 2,000 tests daily in decentralised labs in the affected provinces.
The WHO wants $115 million to strengthen its Ebola response, of which 32 precent has been received to date.
One of the affected provinces is South Kivu, which has seen clashes between the Congolese armed forces and the M23 rebels.
UN rights chief Volker Turk on Thursday called for an immediate end to the fighting, deploring its impact on civilians and saying there were growing fears that the increased clashes could force further displacement, including into other countries.
