The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has reached a devastating milestone, becoming the deadliest in the country’s history with at least 2,325 people killed, according to government data. This surpasses the toll from the 2018-20 outbreak. The number of confirmed cases has risen to 4,945, including 101 new cases detected in the previous 24 hours, as reported by Congo’s public health institute on Sunday.
The outbreak has spread to six of DRC’s 26 provinces, mainly those along the country’s north-eastern border, with over 3,400 cases recorded in Ituri province, where the outbreak was first reported. The latest numbers have made this latest outbreak the fastest growing in the known history of the virus. The rare Bundibugyo strain of the virus responsible for the current surge in cases has no approved vaccines or treatments.
The rapid spread of the disease has raised concerns among health experts. Thomas Parisch, a public health specialist with Médecins Sans Frontières, noted that the case fatality ratio should decrease as contact tracing improves and patients are identified and treated earlier. However, many cases are still being detected late, when treatment is less likely to succeed, with some identified only after they die in the community.
The outbreak has also spread to neighboring Uganda, with at least 20 cases reported in the capital, Kampala. In May, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern. The virus is transmitted to people from wild animals and then spreads through direct contact with infected bodily fluids and contaminated surfaces.
Symptoms of the disease include fever, fatigue, malaise, muscle pain, headache, and sore throat, followed by vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, rash, and impaired kidney and liver functions, according to the WHO. The UN has warned that ‘Ebola is winning in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’ and that the epidemic is now killing one person every 30 minutes.
