An Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has killed 2,325 people, making it the deadliest outbreak in the country’s history and surpassing the toll from the 2018-2020 epidemic.
Confirmed infections have climbed to 4,945, including 101 cases recorded in the past 24 hours, Congo’s public health institute said in its latest report.
- Advertisement -
The outbreak is Congo’s 17th and had already become the country’s largest by case numbers, reaching that grim milestone in late July.
Government figures show deaths have now exceeded the 2,299 recorded during the 2018-2020 outbreak, previously the worst Ebola epidemic on record in Congo.
The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo species of Ebola, for which no vaccines or treatments have been approved
Formally declared three months ago, the outbreak is now second only to the 2014-2016 Ebola epidemic in West Africa. That crisis caused 28,616 cases and 11,310 deaths across Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, according to the World Health Organization.
It took almost five months after that outbreak was declared to reach 1,000 deaths. Congo’s current epidemic, by contrast, surpassed 2,000 fatalities in less than three months.
The virus responsible for the current outbreak is the Bundibugyo species of Ebola, for which no approved vaccines or treatments are available.
Since the outbreak was declared on 15 May, weak health infrastructure, resistance within some communities and ongoing instability have complicated efforts to find cases and mount an effective response.
Persistent shortcomings
The case fatality ratio — the share of confirmed patients who die — has increased from roughly 20% in early June to 46%, according to government data. Nearly one in two people with a confirmed infection is now dying.
Experts say the increase does not mean the virus itself has become more deadly. Rather, they say it reflects continuing failures in surveillance, case detection and access to medical treatment.
“Normally, as an outbreak progresses, the case fatality ratio should fall as contact tracing improves and patients are identified and treated earlier,” said Thomas Parisch, a public health specialist recently deployed to Congo with Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF).
A health worker checks his Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
“Instead, we’re still seeing many cases detected very late, when treatment is less likely to succeed, with many identified only after they die in the community.”
A limited number of experimental vaccines and therapies are undergoing evaluation, while global health authorities examine whether existing Ebola treatments might provide protection.
So far, the available evidence comes only from animal studies. The outbreak also crossed into neighbouring Uganda, where authorities contained the spread, limiting the toll to two deaths and 20 confirmed cases before declaring the outbreak over last month.
Ebola is transmitted through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected people, whether they are alive or dead. The disease can trigger fever, vomiting and diarrhea, and in severe cases can lead to internal and external bleeding.
