Nearly 1,000 people have died from Ebola in DR Congo

What the report says

Al Jazeera, citing the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s health authorities and international agencies, reported on July 22 that the country’s latest Ebola outbreak has caused 999 confirmed deaths since it was declared in May. The outbreak involves the Bundibugyo strain, with DRC’s National Institute of Public Health saying cases began in the northeastern province of Ituri, where infections are still concentrated.

According to the report, the DRC Health Ministry said 2,473 cases had been recorded as of Monday, with at least 737 patients in isolation or receiving hospital care. The World Health Organization has also counted two deaths in neighbouring Uganda, where several infections were linked to the DRC outbreak. Uganda’s last patient was discharged on July 16, starting the 42-day period required under WHO guidelines before the country can be declared free of Ebola.

The outbreak is significant because officials say it is spreading unusually fast. Al Jazeera reported that it has reached nearly 1,000 deaths more quickly than any previous Ebola outbreak, including the 2013-2016 epidemic in West Africa, which ultimately killed more than 11,000 people. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned last week that the outbreak had expanded faster over the prior month than any earlier Ebola event.

Health leaders are calling for a stronger response. WHO official Thierno Balde said responders are still trying to catch up with the outbreak, while Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya warned that delays could allow it to become the worst documented Ebola outbreak. Al Jazeera also noted that there are currently no approved vaccines or treatments for the Bundibugyo strain.