WHO puts Ebola outbreak death rate at ‘huge’ 30-50% as chief arrives in DRC

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus calls for ceasefire among armed groups to help avoid deaths from preventable disease

The death rate of the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is between 30% and 50%, the World Health Organization has said, as its head arrived in the country to support efforts to contain the disease.

Anais Legand, from the WHO's high threat pathogens team, said the revised death rate estimate is based on confirmed cases. It's huge. It means that up to five out of 10 people are likely to die," Legand told reporters in Geneva.