Geneva, Aug. 16 (SANA)Ebolais killing one person every 30 minutes in theDemocratic Republic of Congo, UN humanitarian chiefTom Fletchersaid, warning that the outbreak is spreading rapidly and calling for a stronger international response.

Fletcher, theUN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator,described the outbreak in a post on X as the “fastest-spreading ever.”

“We need speed, scale and solidarity before the virus gets further ahead of us,” Fletcher said.

He warned that Ebola was outpacing efforts to contain it, with many more people at risk, and urged the international community to step up its response.

Fletcher said affected areas faced significant needs for clean water, sanitation,healthcareand other essential services, adding that countries had so far contributed about $300 million to a fund dedicated to combating the outbreak.

Congolese authoritiessaid Wednesday that the number of confirmed Ebola cases had reached 4,449, including 2,061 deaths.

The Democratic Republic ofCongodeclared its 17th Ebola outbreak on May 15. TheWorld Health Organizationtwo days later declared a public health emergency of international concern, its highest level of international health alert.