The Ebola Bundibugyo virus outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is showing early signs of slowing in some areas, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday.Speaking at a hybrid press briefing, Tedros said there were “encouraging signs” that the response was gaining ground, while warning that the epidemic continues to grow and cause deaths.“We are now starting to see encouraging signs that we are gaining ground.”Where Is Ebola Transmission Falling?According to Tedros, transmission is declining in some of the worst-affected parts of Ituri province.Other signs of progress include:South Kivu has reported no new cases since May.More than 1,700 people have recovered.After four months, the epidemic has remained mostly contained in northeastern DRC.Trials of treatments and post-exposure prophylaxis are picking up speed, helped by increased community engagement.Vaccine trials are expected to begin in the coming weeks.Also read: Ebola Bundibugyo Virus: American Health Worker Had 10x Higher Viral Load In Throat Than BloodIs The Ebola Epidemic Winding Down?Not yet. Tedros stressed that the “epidemic continues to grow, and continues to kill.”More than 7,200 cases and over 3,500 deaths have been reported across seven provinces.Although transmission has declined in parts of Ituri, it is falling from a high level. In the past week alone, around 300 new cases and 160 deaths were reported from Ituri, accounting for nearly half the national total, the WHO chief said.In North Kivu, meanwhile, cases are rising rapidly. Over the past two weeks, the number of weekly cases has almost doubled, from about 100 to more than 200.“The area is so vast that it is hard to speak of a single epidemic. It is many outbreaks, in many places. We must get the response right in every one of them,” Dr Tedros said.Ebola Cases Were Also Falling In Some Health ZonesRead More: 1 In 60 Adults In Fiji May Now Have HIV As Meth Use, Unsafe Injecting And Treatment Gaps Fuel SurgeLast week, Congolese Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba said transmission of the Bundibugyo virus had declined, with daily cases falling from about 120 at the peak in mid-August to around 80.“We are fighting a very dangerous virus that is killing many of our people. Today, we can say that the outbreak is under control,” he said.“At one point, we were recording about 120 cases per day; today, we’re seeing about 80 per day. So the number of new cases is decreasing every day.”Kamba said 10 of the 62 affected health zones had reported no new cases for more than 22 days. Six health zones had gone more than 42 days without a new case, while four had gone more than 21 days without one.He described the figures as “encouraging” but stressed that people must remain fully mobilized and not lower their guard.DRC’s 17th Ebola Outbreak The outbreak, caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus, was declared by the WHO on May 15. It is the DRC’s 17th Ebola outbreak since the virus was first identified in 1976.It is also the second-deadliest Ebola outbreak on record, behind the West African outbreak that lasted from 2014 to 2016.Clinical trials of vaccines and treatments against the Bundibugyo virus are ongoing. The DRC also received more than 70,000 doses of the Ervebo vaccine last month. Ervebo is approved for protection against the more common Zaire Ebola virus.