The death toll from the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has climbed to 2,325, making it the deadliest outbreak in the country’s history, surpassing the previous 2018-2020 outbreak. As per the latest data from the D.R.C.’s public health institute, there have been a total of 4,945 confirmed cases, with 101 new cases reported in the last 24 hours.
This outbreak, the 17th in the country, has already become the largest in terms of the number of cases recorded, a milestone achieved in late July. The recent government figures reveal that the total number of fatalities has exceeded the 2,299 deaths recorded during the Congo’s previous worst outbreak from 2018 to 2020.
The current outbreak is predominantly caused by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which there are no approved vaccines or treatments. The outbreak has escalated since its declaration on May 15 due to challenges such as inadequate health infrastructure, community resistance, and instability hindering case identification and response efforts.
The case fatality ratio, indicating the proportion of deaths among confirmed cases, has risen from around 20 percent in early June to 46 percent, meaning that nearly half of all confirmed cases are now fatal. Experts attribute this trend to persistent issues in surveillance, case detection, and access to care, rather than the virus becoming more lethal.
The outbreak has raised concerns about its potential spread beyond the borders of the D.R.C. Three months after its formal declaration, the outbreak has already become the second largest in recent history, trailing only behind the 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak in West Africa, which recorded 28,616 cases and 11,310 deaths across Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.
Efforts to contain the outbreak are ongoing, with trials for potential vaccines underway. However, no approved treatments are available yet. The outbreak had previously spread to neighboring Uganda, where authorities managed to limit deaths to two and confirmed cases to 20 before declaring an end to the outbreak last month.
Ebola is transmitted through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected individuals, living or deceased, and can lead to symptoms such as fever, vomiting, diarrhea, and in severe cases, internal and external bleeding.