The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has killed at least 930 people across 2,344 confirmed cases as of Saturday, the DRC Ministry of Health confirmed on Monday, with 37 deaths recorded in a single 24-hour period on Friday and Saturday alone, one of the highest daily tolls since the outbreak was declared on May 15.
WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the 2018-2020 DRC Ebola outbreak took more than 10 months to reach 2,000 confirmed cases, while this outbreak reached the same threshold in just two months. He described it as now the third-largest Ebola outbreak on record and said in the past month it has expanded faster than any previous outbreak.
The WHO said the true case count could be at least double the confirmed figure, given that 80% of new cases are emerging from unknown transmission chains.
The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain, for which no approved vaccine or treatment exists. Ituri province remains the hardest hit, where healthcare workers began a strike last week, blocking the entrance to Bunia General Hospital over unpaid wages since the outbreak began, significantly hampering the response at the epicentre.
Uganda’s last confirmed patient was discharged on July 16. If no new Ugandan cases emerge by August 27, the country will formally declare its outbreak over.
Three clinical drug trials specifically targeting the Bundibugyo strain are now enrolling participants, the first ever for this variant.
