The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Tuesday said it needed an additional 5,000 health workers to help contain the Ebola outbreak spreading across the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The outbreak, officially detected on May 15, has spread to six provinces in the country’s conflict-affected eastern and northeastern regions.

The WHO, citing official Congolese figures, said more than 6,600 people had been confirmed infected, while 3,175 had died since the outbreak began.

The development has put further pressure on health facilities in the affected areas, many of which are already struggling with shortages of medical personnel and other essential resources.

Ebola is a highly contagious viral disease transmitted through contact with the bodily fluids of infected persons. It can cause severe bleeding, organ failure and death.

The UN health agency said it was working to establish 3,000 beds in Ebola treatment centres across the affected areas to cope with the rising number of patients.

A senior technical official with the WHO, Luca Fontana, said the expansion would require thousands of additional healthcare workers.

“More than 900 beds have been built within the first two months of the response, and we have now reached close to 1,400 beds across 59 treatment centres,” Fontana told a press briefing in Geneva.

He said another 1,600 beds would be required to meet the rapidly increasing demand.

“Despite this extraordinary effort, we estimate that another 1,600 beds will be required to meet the rapidly growing needs,” he said.

Fontana said nearly 4,000 healthcare workers were currently working in the treatment centres, adding that 5,000 more were urgently needed.

He said the Congolese Ministry of Health was racing against time to identify qualified medical personnel from other parts of the country for deployment to the affected provinces.

“The problem is to identify those fast enough to make sure that we can cover the growing need,” Fontana said.

He stressed that fully staffed treatment centres would be critical to saving lives and bringing the outbreak under control.

“Every treatment centre that is fully staffed and functional means more life saved and a stronger chance of bringing this outbreak under control,” he said.

The current outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which there is currently no approved vaccine or treatment. Several vaccines and treatments, however, are being tested.

The outbreak has also been complicated by the security situation in the affected regions, where government presence is weak, healthcare infrastructure is limited and armed groups have operated for decades.

Fontana said the geographical spread of patients seeking treatment was another indication that the outbreak was expanding.

He explained that while most patients initially admitted to treatment centres came from Bunia, the capital of Ituri Province, infected people were now arriving from villages “far beyond” the original epicentre.

He described the development as “a clear sign” that the outbreak was spreading and said the WHO response would have to adapt accordingly.

Ebola has killed more than 15,000 people in Africa over the past 50 years.

The previous major Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which lasted from 2018 to 2020, killed nearly 2,300 people out of about 3,500 reported infections.

United States President Donald Trump has been declared medically fit to continue in office, with his physician describing him as being in “excellent health” while recommending weight loss and increased physical activity weeks before his 80th birthday.

The White House disclosed on Friday that Trump underwent his annual medical and dental examination on Tuesday at Walter Reed Military Hospital near Washington, amid growing scrutiny over his health and fitness for office.

In a three-page medical memo released by the White House, Trump’s physician, US Navy Captain Sean Barbabella, said the president demonstrated strong overall physical and mental capacity.

“President Trump remains in excellent health, demonstrating strong cardiac, pulmonary, neurological, and overall physical function,” Barbabella stated, adding that the president was “fully fit to carry out all duties of the Commander-in-Chief and Head of State.”

However, the physician advised Trump to adopt healthier lifestyle measures, including dietary adjustments, increased physical activity, continued weight loss and low-dose aspirin therapy for cardiovascular prevention.

According to the report, Trump, who will turn 80 on June 14, stands at 6ft 3in tall and weighs 238 pounds (108 kilograms), about 14 pounds more than he weighed during his last full annual medical check-up in April last year.

Despite concerns surrounding his age, the report noted that Trump’s cardiac health reflected an estimated age roughly 14 years younger than his chronological age.

The president also reportedly scored a perfect “30 out of 30” in a cognitive assessment, a result Trump has repeatedly cited in public while contrasting himself with his Democratic predecessor, former President Joe Biden.

The medical report further addressed concerns over bruising frequently seen on Trump’s right hand, attributing it to “minor soft tissue irritation” caused by repeated handshaking and aspirin use.

The memo also referenced scarring on Trump’s right ear linked to the assassination attempt against him during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in 2024, when a gunman opened fire, killing a supporter and slightly wounding the president.

Trump’s latest health evaluation comes amid public concerns after he was occasionally seen appearing drowsy during White House meetings and events. He had also previously been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, a condition that affects blood circulation in the veins and can lead to swelling in the legs.

Reacting shortly after Tuesday’s examination, Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform that the medical exercise had gone “PERFECTLY,” while the White House later shared his photograph online with the caption, “PERFECT BILL OF HEALTH!”

The release of the report also sparked debate in the United States after the White House initially delayed making the medical details public, breaking with the traditional practice of releasing presidential health summaries shortly after such examinations.

Trump has long faced criticism over transparency regarding his health records, with questions also raised over the scheduling and description of his medical evaluations since returning to office.

The Oyo State Government has confirmed a Lassa fever case at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, where a 44-year-old woman died, prompting the activation of emergency response measures and immediate contact tracing to contain the disease.

The state Commissioner for Health, Oluwaserimi Ajetunmobi, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday, saying, “The patient died on April 11, 2026, while receiving treatment, while laboratory confirmation of Lassa fever was received on April 13.”

She added that the Ministry of Health had swiftly activated its emergency response system, including the establishment of an Incident Management System to coordinate response activities across the state.

According to her, “All identified contacts of the deceased are being closely monitored, while necessary measures have been taken to ensure a safe and dignified burial in line with public health protocols.”

Ajetunmobi urged residents to seek immediate medical attention if they experience symptoms such as persistent fever, weakness, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhoea, unexplained bleeding, chest pain or difficulty breathing.

She stressed, “Early presentation at health facilities significantly improves the chances of survival.”

The commissioner explained that Lassa fever is a viral haemorrhagic disease transmitted primarily through contact with food or household items contaminated by urine or faeces of infected rodents.

“It can also spread from person to person through contact with bodily fluids, especially in healthcare settings where infection prevention measures are not strictly observed,” she said.

She advised residents to maintain strict environmental hygiene, including proper waste disposal, safe storage of food in rodent-proof containers and avoiding drying food items on bare ground or roadsides.

Ajetunmobi also urged households to seal holes and entry points to prevent rodent access, while emphasising regular handwashing and good personal hygiene.

Residents, she said, should report suspected cases through designated emergency lines, while health workers must strictly adhere to infection prevention and control protocols.

Reaffirming the government’s commitment, the commissioner said surveillance had been intensified across the state, with all health facilities placed on alert.

“There is no cause for panic. The situation is under control, and Lassa fever is both preventable and treatable when detected early,” she assured.