Ebola outbreak in DR Congo becomes deadliest in its history

What the report says

Public health officials say the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has become the country’s deadliest on record. BBC World News reported that 2,325 people had died since the outbreak was declared on 15 May, overtaking the death toll from the country’s 2018-2020 Ebola crisis. The current epidemic has also been described as the fastest growing recorded in DR Congo.

The outbreak is being driven by Bundibugyo, a rare Ebola strain for which there is currently no approved vaccine, although several candidates are in development. The BBC reported that DR Congo’s public health institute had counted 4,945 confirmed cases, including 101 in the previous 24 hours. The virus has spread across six of the country’s 26 provinces, and the World Health Organization has called the transmission pace exceptional.

The report said cases outside DR Congo remain relatively limited, with infections confirmed in Uganda and isolated patients treated in Germany and France. The outbreak is the 17th Ebola event to emerge in DR Congo since the virus was first identified 50 years ago. Ongoing conflict and population movement have complicated response efforts, while WHO says it hopes to bring transmission under control within three months.

The article also noted that vaccine research is under way, including a first human trial in the UK for a Bundibugyo vaccine based on Oxford-AstraZeneca technology, and a separate WHO-backed trial in DR Congo of existing antiviral treatments.