The latest government data revealed that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has resulted in the death of 2,325 individuals, making it the deadliest outbreak in the country’s history, surpassing the toll from the 2018-2020 outbreak. The country’s public health institute reported a total of 4,945 confirmed cases, including 101 new cases identified within the previous 24 hours.
This outbreak, which marks the 17th in the country, already holds the record for the highest number of cases in the nation’s history, a milestone achieved at the end of July. The total death count has now exceeded the 2,299 deaths recorded in the previous 2018-2020 outbreak, which was previously the worst on record in the country. The current data indicates 4,945 confirmed cases.
Three months after its official declaration, this outbreak is now second only to the West Africa Ebola outbreak from 2014-2016, which saw 28,616 cases and 11,310 fatalities across Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, according to the World Health Organization. The West Africa outbreak took almost five months to reach 1,000 deaths, while the current Congo outbreak reached 2,000 deaths in less than three months.
The current outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which there are no approved vaccines or treatments. The outbreak has escalated since its declaration on May 15, with challenges such as weak health infrastructure, community resistance, and instability impeding efforts to identify and respond to cases. The case fatality ratio has increased from about 20% in early June to 46%, indicating that nearly half of confirmed cases now result in fatalities.
Experts note that this rise in fatality ratio does not suggest the virus has become more deadly but rather highlights ongoing deficiencies in surveillance, case detection, and access to care. Efforts are underway to evaluate a few experimental vaccines and therapies, while existing Ebola treatments are being considered for potential protection. However, current evidence is primarily based on animal studies.
While the outbreak previously spread to neighboring Uganda, authorities there were able to contain deaths to two and confirmed cases to 20 before declaring an end to the outbreak last month. Ebola is transmitted through direct contact with bodily fluids of infected individuals, leading to symptoms such as fever, vomiting, diarrhea, and in severe cases, internal and external bleeding.