A coordinator with U-Reporters, an UNICEF program to engage and inform local communities, wears a protective gown as he takes part in a campaign to raise awareness against Ebola in Goma, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo, in late May. File Photo by Marie Jeanne Munyyerenkana/EPA
Aug. 16 (UPI) — The ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo became the nation’s deadliest over the weekend with a death toll of more than 2,300, according to local health officials.
The DRC’s public health institute on Sunday reported 2,325 Ebola deaths since the first cases were reported in late April, surp***ing the previous record of 2,299 deaths during the 2018-2020 outbreak.
“Ebola is winning in the Democratic Republic of the Congo,” Tom Fletcher, United Nations under-secretary general for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, said in a Friday statement.
“We cannot let the virus outrun our response.”
The DRC declared the outbreak, the nation’s 17th since the disease was first discovered in 1976, on May 15, when there were 246 suspected cases, eight laboratory-confirmed cases and 80 deaths. On April 24, the first suspect case, a healthcare worker, developed Ebola symptoms of fever, hemorrhaging, vomiting and intense malaise, and later died.
Local health officials on Sunday reported a total of 4,945 confirmed cases.
Ebola is often fatal with a mortality rate of around 50%, according to the World Health Organization.
It is transmitted to people from wild animals and spreads through direct contact with blood and other bodily fluids of infected individuals.
The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a severe form of Ebola that WHO officials said is a zoonotic disease, with fruit bats suspected to be its natural reservoir. Infection occurs through close contact with blood or secretions of infected wildlife.
There are no approved vaccines or specific treatments for Bundibugyo, meaning outbreak control methods include rapid case identification, contact tracing, isolation and care, safe burials and strong community engagement.
Despite mitigation efforts, the virus appears to be aggressively spreading. The WHO on Friday said there had been 579 cases and 304 deaths during the Aug. 3-9 week, the highest weekly numbers reported of the outbreak,
“The ongoing humanitarian crisis, compounded by insecurity, population displacement and mobility and cross-border movements continues to pose significant challenges to response efforts and increase the risk of further geographical spread,” the WHO said in its update.
According to Fletcher, the outbreak is the fastest-growing on record, resulting in a death every 30 minutes.
“We need to double the number of teams ensuring safe and dignified burials, triple the treatment capacity, improve contact tracing and deploy more experienced managers,” he said.
“Crucially, we must meet the immense needs for water, hygiene, healthcare and other basic services in the region.”
Uganda, which reported an outbreak after infected individuals crossed into the country from DRC, declared itself Ebola-free late last month.
