GENEVA: It is possible to contain the latest Ebola outbreak in Congo, but it will be difficult unless the right steps are taken within the next two weeks, a World Health Organization official said on Friday.
Democratic Republic of Congo’s health ministry last week declared the country’s first Ebola outbreak in three years. It is the country’s 16th outbreak overall and the first in Kasai province since 2008.
The latest data from the health ministry in Kinshasa said there were 32 suspected cases, 20 confirmed cases and 16 deaths.
Containing the outbreak is “possible, but it will be challenging if we miss the window of opportunity,” WHO Programme Area Manager Patrick Otim told a Geneva briefing, calling for more support for the government and other partners.
“We have the expertise, DRC has the expertise, but we need to be able to get the people and supplies into place and we need to be able to pay for the operations.”
The WHO said last week that Congo had a stockpile of treatments as well as 2,000 doses of the Ervebo vaccine, which would be transported to Kasai to vaccinate frontline health workers and people who came into contact with patients.
Otim said on Friday that 400 doses had arrived at the outbreak’s epicenter in the city of Bulape, and that the campaign could begin on Saturday.
He said the WHO plans to request an additional 40,000-50,000 Ebola vaccine doses for Congo.
Several aid workers have said that Congo could struggle to mount an effective response given recent cuts to foreign assistance and the dismantling of the US Agency for International Development under President Donald Trump.
There is limited capacity to respond to the outbreak in Kasai and new treatment facilities need to be set up there “as the outbreak may expand,” Otim said, noting that one new case was confirmed 70 kilometers from the current epicenter.
There is moderate risk of the outbreak spreading to other countries “with the most prioritized country being Angola,” Otim said.
Congo’s Ebola outbreak can be contained if support increases, WHO official says
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Congo’s Ebola outbreak can be contained if support increases, WHO official says
- It is the country’s 16th outbreak overall and the first in Kasai province since 2008
- WHO plans to request an additional 40,000-50,000 Ebola vaccine doses for Congo
Lufthansa adds more flights to Asia, Africa as Middle East war reshapes air travel
- Airlines across Europe have been redirecting capacity after suspending services in the Middle East
- Lufthansa said the move also helps meet demand on long-haul routes that Middle Eastern carriers cannot currently serve
LONDON: Lufthansa said on Friday it was shifting capacity from 10 canceled Middle Eastern destinations to routes such as Singapore and Bangkok as it contends with disruption from the US-Israeli war on Iran.
Airlines across Europe, including budget carrier Wizz Air , have been redirecting capacity after suspending services in the Middle East.
Lufthansa said the move also helps meet demand on long-haul routes that Middle Eastern carriers cannot currently serve.
Airline stocks have slumped this week as US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran — and retaliatory strikes by Iran across the Middle East — have disrupted long-haul flights and sent oil prices soaring.
“The war in the Middle East proves once again how exposed air traffic is and how vulnerable it remains,” Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr said in a statement. He added the outlook was uncertain, particularly for jet fuel costs.
The schedule changes came as the German group reported better-than-expected 2025 results, saying stricter financial management and fleet renewal had helped contain costs and lift profits. Its shares rose as much as 4 percent, before reversing to trade down 1.2 percent at 1246 GMT.
The company said demand on routes to and from Asia and Africa had risen strongly since the conflict began on Saturday, and it would stick with its focus on expanding long-haul services. Spohr said new flights to Asia would launch in days.
Lufthansa did say how many services it had canceled because of the conflict.
While carriers face costs for rescheduling and rerouting, the biggest impact for those outside the Middle East is expected from surging fuel prices. Brent crude futures have jumped more than 20 percent this week.
Spohr said Lufthansa was well hedged in the short term. The group hedges fuel up to 24 months ahead and was 85 percent hedged as of December 31, according to its annual report.
RESILIENCE
European carriers, including Lufthansa, benefited from slightly lower fuel bills in 2025. Lufthansa’s fuel bill fell 7 percent, helping support earnings as passenger demand stayed firm.
“Last year we were able to significantly increase the Group’s operating profit and achieved the highest revenue in our history. Our results demonstrate the resilience and stability of the Group,” Spohr said.
Lufthansa reported an adjusted operating profit of 2 billion euros ($2.3 billion), compared with 1.9 billion euros forecast in a company-compiled analyst poll and up from 1.6 billion euros in 2024. The group also posted an operating margin of 4.9 percent, up from 4.4 percent a year earlier.
Lufthansa aims to lift operating margins to 8 percent-10 percent between 2028 and 2030 from 4.4 percent in 2024, but strikes by workers, including the most recent on February 12, have made it harder to boost profitability.
Bernstein analyst Alex Irving said ongoing weakness in the passenger airline segment persisted, but that strong performances in Cargo and Lufthansa Technik helped lift profits.
The carrier said the outlook for 2026 was unclear due to geopolitical uncertainty. It projected capacity growth of 4 percent, alongside increased revenue and profit margin.
