The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has become the worst on record, the World Health Organization warned, with more than 3,600 confirmed cases and 1,587 deaths reported as of July 30, a fatality rate of 44 percent.
The WHO said the epidemic was intensifying at an exceptional pace, with sustained transmission and a continuous rise in reported cases and deaths. In the final reporting week for which complete data are available, authorities recorded 567 cases and 296 deaths, figures the agency described as evidence of the exceptional rate of transmission.
The outbreak was officially declared on May 15, with a delay of several weeks. It was initially confined to the Mongbwalu health zone in Ituri province but has since spread to five provinces: Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uele, and Tshopo.
The WHO said the spread to new regions was the most alarming development, and called for a substantial increase in response activities to get ahead of the epidemic. It warned that insecurity, population displacement, resident mobility, and cross-border movements were complicating response operations and raising the risk of further spread.
Health workers have not been spared, with 151 confirmed infections among health personnel, including 44 deaths.
The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo variant, for which no treatment exists. Congo’s national authorities are working with the WHO and partners on large-scale response measures, the agency said.
Singapore-based Hilleman Laboratories announced on July 30 that it would develop a vaccine the WHO has described as the most promising against the outbreak. Uganda’s health ministry declared its own Ebola outbreak over earlier this week, though the WHO said the risk there persisted.
