According to official statistics, an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has claimed 2,325 lives, making it the deadliest in the country’s history.
The United Nations noted that the outbreak is the fastest-growing on record, with the virus taking a life every 30 minutes.
With 2,325 deaths recorded out of 4,945 confirmed cases, the current epidemic has surpassed the country’s 2018–2020 outbreak, which resulted in 2,299 deaths from 3,381 confirmed cases.
Between 2013 and 2016, West Africa experienced the deadliest Ebola outbreak on record, resulting in more than 11,300 deaths, primarily across Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia.
The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) began in the conflict-ravaged northeastern province of Ituri before spreading to five other provinces across the country.
The DRC reported its 17th Ebola outbreak on May 15, although health officials believe the virus had circulated for several weeks before authorities detected it.
Last week, the World Health Organization said it aimed to contain the outbreak within three months.
Over the past 50 years, Ebola has killed more than 15,000 people across Africa. The virus spreads through contact with infected bodily fluids and can cause severe haemorrhagic fever.
Backstory…
According to AFP, the situation is particularly difficult because the outbreak is being caused by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which there are currently no approved vaccines or treatments.
Experimental vaccines and treatments are being studied, but they remain in clinical trials. Health workers are also facing serious challenges, including limited resources, insecurity, poor infrastructure and difficulties tracing people who have come into contact with infected patients.
Meanwhile, the latest outbreak has become the second-deadliest Ebola epidemic ever recorded globally, behind the 2014–2016 West African outbreak, which killed more than 11,000 people.
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