Ebola outbreak in DR Congo becomes deadliest with 2,325 deaths
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The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has killed 2,325 people, surpassing the 2018-2020 toll to become the deadliest in the country's history. Confirmed cases rose to 4,945, including 101 new infections in the previous 24 hours, the DRC's National Public Health Institute said Sunday. UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said Friday the outbreak is the fastest growing on record.
Key Facts
- The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has killed 2,325 people, surpassing the 2,299 deaths recorded in the 2018-2020 outbreak to become the deadliest in the country's history.
- Confirmed Ebola cases in the DRC rose to 4,945, including 101 new infections detected in the previous 24 hours, according to the national public health institute's Sunday report.
- The case fatality ratio among confirmed Ebola infections has climbed from about 20 percent in early June to 46 percent, meaning nearly one in every two confirmed cases is now deadly.
- The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo species of Ebola virus, which has no approved vaccines or treatments.
- The current outbreak, the DRC's 17th, was already the biggest in the country's history by number of cases when it passed that milestone in late July.
Scale and Milestones
Total deaths have surpassed the 2,299 recorded in the 2018-2020 outbreak, previously the country's worst on record. Confirmed cases have risen to 4,945, including 101 new cases detected in the previous 24 hours, according to the DRC's National Public Health Institute. The outbreak, the DRC's 17th, was already the biggest in the country's history in terms of number of cases, a milestone reached in late July. The outbreak is now dwarfed only by West Africa's 2014-2016 Ebola epidemic, which recorded 28,616 cases and 11,310 deaths across Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, according to the World Health Organization.
Case Fatality and Treatment
The case fatality ratio among confirmed Ebola infections has risen from about 20 percent in early June to 46 percent, according to government data, meaning nearly one in every two confirmed cases is now deadly. Thomas Parisch, a public health specialist with Doctors Without Borders deployed to the DRC, said many cases are still detected very late, when treatment is less likely to succeed, with many identified only after they die in the community. The current outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo species of Ebola virus, which has no approved vaccines or treatments. A small number of experimental vaccines and therapies are being evaluated, while global health authorities assess whether existing Ebola treatments could offer protection; evidence so far is limited to animal studies.
Response Challenges
UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said on Friday the outbreak is the fastest growing on record and warned that Ebola is winning in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Wednesday that at its current pace, the outbreak is on track to eclipse the West African Ebola outbreak of 2014-2016, which killed more than 11,000 people. Weak health infrastructure, the region's remoteness, and ongoing conflict near the DRC's borders with South Sudan, Uganda, and Rwanda have hindered response efforts since the outbreak was declared on May 15.
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Ebola outbreak in DR Congo becomes deadliest with 2,325 deaths
