DR Congo Ebola outbreak set to become deadliest on record, WHO warns

What the report says

The World Health Organization says the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is spreading faster than health teams can contain it and could become the deadliest on record if the current trend continues. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned on Wednesday that the outbreak may surpass the West African epidemic of 2014 to 2016, which killed more than 11,000 people and helped drive vaccine development efforts.

According to Al Jazeera’s report, the outbreak in eastern DR Congo has caused more than 2,000 deaths among more than 4,300 confirmed cases, making it the fastest-moving Ebola outbreak recorded. It was officially declared on May 15, but genetic sequencing later indicated the virus had been circulating since February. The outbreak is linked to the rare Bundibugyo strain, for which no approved vaccine or treatment is available.

Containment has been complicated by the area’s remote terrain, armed conflict near the borders with South Sudan, Uganda and Rwanda, and weak health infrastructure. Al Jazeera said under-resourced clinics, misinformation and strikes by health workers over unpaid wages have also slowed the response, leaving many infections in communities that teams have struggled to reach.

WHO officials told Al Jazeera they expect a moderate scenario to peak within about six months, while a more severe one could last nine to 12 months. The warning matters because it raises the risk of a wider humanitarian and public health crisis unless access to affected communities improves quickly.