United Nations says Ebola outbreak in Congo has killed nearly 2,000 people

August 23, 2019 at 3:45 p.m. | Updated August 23, 2019 at 2:37 p.m.

by Associated Press

In this Saturday, July 13, 2019, file photo, a health worker wearing protective suits enters an isolation pod to treat a patient at a treatment center in Beni, Congo DRC. The head of Congo's Ebola response says another vaccine will be used to fight the outbreak that has killed more than 1,800 people in a year. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay, File)
In this Saturday, July 13, 2019, file photo, a health worker wearing protective suits enters an isolation pod to treat a patient at a treatment center in Beni, Congo DRC. The head of Congo's Ebola response says another vaccine will be used to fight the outbreak that has killed more than 1,800 people in a year. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay, File)

LONDON (AP) - The World Health Organization's emergencies chief said the ongoing Ebola outbreak in Congo is approaching a "stark" milestone with nearly 2,000 people killed by the virus in the year-long epidemic.

In a press briefing on Friday, Dr. Mike Ryan said that although the U.N. health agency has the vaccines and drugs that could potentially change the course of the outbreak, delivering those to the people who need them is still proving problematic.

"Over the last couple of weeks, we've seen worrying extensions of the disease," Ryan said, noting that Ebola is continuing to affect new areas in Congo. He said one case in Pinga, northeast of Goma, had no known links to other cases.

Ryan said WHO is asking for another $278 million to support efforts to contain Ebola.

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