Ebola in Congo affects over 2,000 people, 754 dead; WHO raises alarm over rapid spread

Health authorities of the Democratic Republic of Congo reported that since the start of the epidemic outbreak, more than 2,000 Ebola cases have been identified and 754 people have lost their lives.

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) assesses that the virus is spreading at an unprecedented speed.

According to it, within less than five weeks, confirmed cases have tripled, while the number of victims has increased more than fivefold.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has also warned that the real figures of the epidemic linked to the Bundibugyo variant of Ebola could be “two to four times higher” than official data.

For this variant of the virus, there is still no approved vaccine or treatment. However, WHO announced the start of the first clinical trial, which aims to assess the effectiveness of an antiviral medication against the Bundibugyo strain.

The latest toll from health institutions shows that over 2,000 cases have been confirmed in five provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo, while the death toll has reached 754.

MSF stressed that the disease is expanding into new territories at an “unprecedented pace”, calling for urgent strengthening of the medical response.

The organization highlighted that the current outbreak has already surpassed half the number of cases recorded during the Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2018–2020, which lasted nearly two years.

The current epidemic was declared on May 15, after reports of several deaths in Ituri province, in the northeast of the country. The region is rich in minerals and armed groups operate there.

Ebola cases have been recorded in five provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as in neighboring Uganda. However, more than 90% of them continue to be reported in Ituri province.