The Ebola outbreak is continuing to outpace the response, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday.
Speaking at a press briefing in Geneva, Tedros said the Ebola outbreak centered in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has so far resulted in 1,094 reported cases, including 277 deaths. Neighboring Uganda has also recorded 20 confirmed cases, including two deaths.
Despite efforts to scale up response measures and strengthen disease surveillance and detection capacities, significant challenges remain, Tedros said, warning that "the outbreak is continuing to outpace the response."
The current outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, for which there is no approved vaccine or specific treatment, he said.
The DRC is facing its 17th Ebola outbreak, which was declared in mid-May. The outbreak has affected the eastern part of the country and spread to neighboring Uganda.
Ebola outbreak in DR Congo outpaces response: WHO
Colombia's National Electoral Council on Wednesday officially declared Abelardo de la Espriella, a right-wing candidate, president-elect for the 2026-2030 term following ballot counting for Sunday's election.
The newly elected president is scheduled to be sworn in on August 7.
Earlier on Wednesday, Ivan Cepeda, the candidate of the left-wing coalition Historic Pact, conceded defeat during a livestream.
Colombia held the second round of its presidential election on Sunday, in which De la Espriella faced Cepeda.
Preliminary results released by Colombia's National Civil Registry on Sunday night showed De la Espriella leading Cepeda by about 1 percentage point.
Under Colombia's electoral system, vote counting follows a two-step process. After election day, a preliminary count is conducted by a technical service provider commissioned by the National Civil Registry, but the result has no legal effect.
It is followed by an official review of vote counting led by Colombian judges and electoral officials. That count is legally binding and serves as the final result.
Local media reported that the official scrutiny was completed on Wednesday and showed only a small difference from the preliminary count.
Abelardo de la Espriella elected Colombian president: National Electoral Council
