DRC Ebola outbreak fastest-growing with most new cases from unknown transmission chains: WHO

The World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Tuesday that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is the fastest-growing ever recorded, with the majority of new infections now coming from unknown chains of transmission.

Chikwe Ihekweazu, executive director of the WHO's Health Emergencies Program, unveiled the new finding at a press briefing held in Geneva, Switzerland after returning from the epicenter in Ituri Province.

He said the scale of the Ebola outbreak in the DRC has reached an alarming level.

"As of July the 11th, we had seen close to 2,000 confirmed cases and over 700 deaths across the five provinces now. This is now the third-largest Ebola outbreak ever, and we've seen the fastest growth in a single month since the outbreak started and of all the Ebola outbreaks that we have managed," said Ihekweazu.

He warned that a majority of new cases are coming from unknown transmission chains.

"Perhaps the most alarming finding is that many of the newly reported deaths are people who died in their communities without ever reaching a health facility and without receiving care. And as of today, 80 percent of new cases are outside our contact lists and so are coming from unknown chains of transmission," said Ihekweazu.

The outbreak was declared two months ago. While up to 95 percent of new cases still originate in Ituri, the virus has recently spread to two additional provinces, Haut-Uele and Tshopo.

To tackle the crisis, the WHO outlined a dual strategy: intensifying response efforts in the epicenter while mapping travel routes and identifying high-risk areas for potential new cases.

Urging the international community not to become "despondent", Ihekweazu stressed that results are being achieved. "Now is not the time to drop the ball," he said.

Although several therapeutics are undergoing clinical trials and no approved treatment yet exists for the Bundibugyo species, early supportive care significantly improves survival. "We must find the cases earlier, bring them into care as soon as possible," Ihekweazu concluded.

DRC Ebola outbreak fastest-growing with most new cases from unknown transmission chains: WHO

DRC Ebola outbreak fastest-growing with most new cases from unknown transmission chains: WHO

China on Saturday expressed serious concern and firm opposition to new U.S. outbound investment restrictions, saying that it will closely follow relevant developments and reserve the right to take all necessary measures.

The statement made by a spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce came in response to a media query regarding the U.S. Treasury Department's updated proposed rules on outbound investment released on Friday.

In the statement released on the ministry's official website, the spokesperson said that the proposed rule expands the scope of investment restrictions targeting China in a discriminatory manner and intensifies these constraints, which is a classic example of generalizing the concept of national security and runs counter to the important consensus reached by the two heads of state.

It also interrupts normal economic and trade cooperation between Chinese and U.S. enterprises, and undermines the international economic and trade order, the spokesperson added.

Highlighting China's enormous market and immense consumer and investment potential, the spokesperson emphasized that investing in China means investing in the future.

U.S. restrictions on investments in China not only hinder bilateral economic and trade cooperation, but also harm the interests of American enterprises themselves, the spokesperson noted.

China urges the U.S. side to respect the laws of a market economy, stop overstretching the concept of national security, stop politicizing and weaponizing trade and economic issues, and create an enabling environment for China-U.S. business cooperation, said the spokesperson.

China firmly opposes US discriminatory investment restrictions: spokesperson