Congo’s Ebola outbreak is second-largest on record, latest data shows

The Democratic Republic of Congo is grappling with a rapidly spreading Ebola outbreak, now the world's second-largest on record, according to government data released on Friday. The outbreak has claimed 1,556 lives and infected 3,532 individuals. U.N. World Food Programme's acting head Carl Skau described the epidemic as the fastest-spreading Ebola outbreak ever witnessed, urging the world to pay greater attention to the crisis.

Emerging less than three months after the initial outbreak, the disease has been responsible for five times more fatalities than previous outbreaks had reached this stage, as reported by Africa's foremost public health agency, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. The outbreak is attributed to the unusual Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, which lacks an approved vaccine or treatment.

Health responders are further strained by insecurity and the presence of numerous armed groups operating in eastern Congo, alongside severe cuts to foreign aid, which have limited their resources. The latest figures indicate that this outbreak is larger than the 2014 to 2016 West Africa outbreak, which saw 28,616 cases and 11,310 deaths in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.

The Africa CDC's head of emergencies, Angele Gapio, stated that awareness campaigns are ineffective and that frontline responders are both exhausted and traumatized. The World Health Organization (WHO) has suggested that the actual scale of the outbreak could be up to four times higher than reported figures. The WHO previously reported that surveillance efforts are limited due to vehicle shortages, understaffing, and community mistrust.

Reuters recently revealed that these challenges have been exacerbated by a lack of funding. In June, the Africa CDC estimated that it would require $1.4 billion to contain the Ebola outbreak, three times the initial estimate. According to recent information provided by the WHO, Congo's May-August response plan has secured only $213.9 million in declared funding, falling short of the projected $242.4 million.

Additionally, a U.S. travel ban is impeding the supply of aid workers. The Trump administration restricted American citizens in Congo from traveling to the United States on commercial flights. Samaritan's Purse, which operates treatment centers and depends on U.S. responders for their mission in Congo, announced that they will need to scale back due to the quarantine order.