Geneva, Sept. 17 (SANA)TheWorld Health Organizationsaid Wednesday it was seeing encouraging signs of progress in containing anEbolaoutbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, but warned the outbreak was “far from over.”

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said transmission was declining in the hardest-hit areas of Ituri province.

“We are now beginning to see encouraging signs that we are making progress,” Tedros said in a statement posted on X.

He cautioned that the virus could still spread, particularly in areas with high population movement.

Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO’s acting director of epidemic and pandemic threat management, said increased surveillance and intensified contact tracing could lead to more cases being detected.

“We have many, many months ahead of us. This is far from over,” Van Kerkhove said.

Authorities inDR Congohave recorded 7,022 cases and 3,398 deaths since the outbreak began, while 1,671 people have recovered, according to the latest figures cited in the report.