Ebola Spreads Rapidly in Congo, More Than 2,000 Cases and 828 Deaths Confirmed

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Ebola epidemic is expanding rapidly, pushing the number of confirmed infections above 2,000.

Data from the country’s health authorities show that since the epidemic was declared on May 15, laboratories have confirmed 2,124 cases. So far, the virus has claimed 828 lives.

The World Health Organization has expressed concern over the pace at which the disease is spreading. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the outbreak is advancing faster than previous episodes of the virus in the country.

According to him, the threshold of 2,000 confirmed cases was reached within two months, while the 2018 epidemic had taken more than ten months to record similar figures.

This is the 17th Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is linked to the Bundibugyo variant, for which there is currently no vaccine or specific treatment.

Ebola is a serious disease that causes hemorrhagic fever. Over the past five decades, it has caused more than 15,000 deaths in Africa.

The outbreak with the most severe consequences in the Democratic Republic of Congo occurred from 2018 to 2020, when around 3,500 cases and about 2,300 deaths were reported. Meanwhile, authorities and international organizations are working to stop the new epidemic, which is considered one of the most worrying in recent years.