WHO: Ebola outbreak in Congo can be controlled within three months

A World Health Organization official said on Tuesday (August 18) it was still possible to bring under control an Ebola outbreak that is outpacing containment efforts and has become the second-deadliest on record.

The global health agency said earlier this month that reversing Ebola's spread would be possible within a three-month period, but since then there have been signs that it has worsened, expanding to a sixth province.

"About the next plan for the three months, yes, if you have the necessary resources, I think it will be possible to do that," Thierno Balde, WHO incident manager, told reporters in Geneva by video link from Bunia, in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The outbreak, Congo's worst yet of 17, has so far killed at least 2,325 people. Resources are currently lagging requirements, and the WHO has raised about 60% of the $115 million it is seeking for the Ebola response.

Still, containment efforts are ramping up and an extra 400 beds have been added in the past two weeks, Balde said.

The WHO Emergency Committee meets on Tuesday to discuss the outbreak, which was deemed a global emergency by the U.N. agency on May 17.

-Editing: Manuel Ausloos; Writing: Emma Farge/Reuters