Ebola spirals out of control in the Democratic Republic of the Congo... Over 3,600 cases in an unprecedented outbreak
In just two and a half months, scattered outbreaks of the Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have escalated into the country’s largest epidemic wave, amid rising cases and deaths and containment efforts’ failure to halt the spread of the pandemic.
The World Health Organization said on Saturday that the outbreak remains out of control despite weeks of containment efforts, warning that the situation could worsen and the risk of the virus spreading to neighboring countries could increase.
In a statement, the organization emphasized that the crisis requires a “significant expansion of response activities to control the outbreak,” following the recording of 567 cases and 296 deaths in the past week, marking the highest weekly toll since the current wave began.
Multilateral organizations
According to the latest data from the WHO, the total number of laboratory-confirmed cases reached 3,605, including 1,587 deaths, while 651 patients have recovered.
The current wave’s death toll has surpassed, within a few months, the number of cases recorded during the deadliest Ebola epidemic in the country’s history between 2018 and 2020, which claimed the lives of approximately 2,300 people out of 3,500 cases.
The infection is spreading across several provinces in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, areas plagued by continuous conflict for over 30 years, alongside a weak state presence and a severe shortage of health infrastructure.
Congolese authorities had previously announced the recording of 3,532 cases, including 1,556 deaths, across five provinces within two and a half months, marking the country’s seventeenth epidemic wave.
The outbreak was officially declared on May 15, after weeks of delays, and is caused by the Bundibugyo strain, for which no approved vaccine or treatment currently exists.
The Ebola virus spreads through contact with bodily fluids and causes hemorrhagic fever, having claimed more than 15,000 lives in Africa over the past five decades.
