Ebola runs rampant in the Democratic Republic of Congo: one death every 30 minutes

The United Nations announced that the Ebola virus outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is claiming one life every 30 minutes, warning that the epidemic is accelerating at an unprecedented pace and calling for urgent international action to scale up the response. Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher said the current outbreak is “the fastest-spreading ever,” emphasizing the need to accelerate and expand the international response before the virus spreads further. According to the UN, the outbreak has killed at least 2,128 people among more than 4,500 infections since it was declared in the Democratic Republic of Congo on May 15, amid warnings that it is on track to become the deadliest in the history of the disease. Fletcher stated that “Ebola is winning in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and we cannot allow the virus to outpace our response,” adding that the epidemic “kills one person every 30 minutes” and that far larger populations remain at risk. Cases have been recorded in six provinces within the Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as in Uganda, with cases detected near the border with South Sudan. Fletcher stressed the need to double safe burial teams, triple the capacity of treatment centers, improve contact tracing, and strengthen water, sanitation, and health services. The seventeenth Ebola outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain, for which there is no known treatment or vaccine. Fletcher called on the international community to act urgently, saying, “The world must wake up and take effective action.”