DRC Faces Its Deadliest Ebola Outbreak

The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has become the deadliest in the country’s history.

With a reported 2 325 deaths amongst 4 945 confirmed cases, it has surpassed the 2018-2020 outbreak’s death toll of 2 299.

According to health officials, the current outbreak – caused by the rare Bundibugyo species – is progressing rapidly compared to previous crises.

For example, the 2014-2016 West African outbreak took five months to reach 1 000 deaths; in comparison, the current crisis reached 2 000 deaths in just three months.

Tom Fletcher, the United Nations’ (UN’s) humanitarian chief, warned that the epidemic is killing someone every 30 minutes. As a result, the mortality rate has risen to 46%, with many cases detected too late for effective treatment.

The Bundibugyo species causing this outbreak has no approved vaccine, though several are in development. England’s University of Oxford is creating a vaccine using the same technology as the Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine.

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