The current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is "on the retreat," according to head of the United Nations health agency.

Tedros Adhanom Gheybreyesus, the Director general of the World Health Organization, however warns that there is no room for complacency in the quest to rid the country of the deadly disease completely.

"It's not over, until it's over," said Tedros Adhanom Gheybreyesus, speaking to reporters at UN Headquarters in New York on September 25, after a meeting co-hosted by WHO and the DR Congo government, on the margins of the UN General Assembly, bringing together regional ministers for health, on Ebola preparedness and response.

The current Ebola outbreak in the DR Congo has killed more than 2,100 people since August last year, and is considered the country's largest ever outbreak.

The health agency reports that some 1,000 people have recovered from the disease, with more than 3,150 cases overall.

WHO in July declared the Ebola outbreak a public health emergency of international concern, calling for more measures to curb its spread.

Tedros expressed confidence that the disease will be defeated, but more efforts are still needed to achieve this.

"The outbreak is happening in a complex situation where there is political instability and also insecurity," he said. "While fighting Ebola in DRC we have to strengthen our preparedness in neighbouring countries, because the risk of spread is still high."

(Additional information obtained from un.org)