The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has become the deadliest in the nation's history, with more than 2,325 fatalities recorded since it was declared on May 15. This surpasses the death toll of the country's 2018-2020 outbreak.
Public health officials reported 4,945 confirmed cases, including 101 in the 24 hours preceding Sunday's announcement. The virus, identified as a rare species of Ebola called Bundibugyo, has spread to six of the DRC's 26 provinces. The World Health Organization has described the pace of transmission within the DRC as "exceptional."
For comparison, it took nearly five months for the West African Ebola outbreak of 2014-2016 to reach 1,000 fatalities. The current outbreak reached 2,000 deaths in less than three months.
UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher noted last week that the epidemic was growing at a record pace, killing one person every 30 minutes. While there is no approved vaccine for the Bundibugyo species, several are in development, including one utilizing technology similar to that used for the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.
Cases identified outside the DRC have been minimal. As of August 12, 20 cases were confirmed in neighboring Uganda, with single cases treated in Germany and France. However, the rapid spread within the DRC presents significant challenges.
This marks the 17th Ebola outbreak in the DRC since the virus was discovered 50 years ago. Years of conflict and a highly mobile population have complicated efforts to control the disease's spread.