Congo-Kinshasa: Ebola Deaths Top 2,000 As Scientists Race to Develop Vaccine
[UN News] Local officials in the DR Congo (DRC) reported on Tuesday that deaths from the Ebola virus disease have surpassed 2,000, with half of that number in the last 20 days.
The Ebola virus disease death toll in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) has surpassed 2,000, with half of those fatalities occurring in the last 20 days, according to local officials. The current outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo species, was declared a public health emergency of international concern by the World Health Organization (WHO) on May 17.
With over 4,000 confirmed cases, it is both the second-largest and fastest-growing Ebola outbreak on record. The 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola outbreak, which saw more than 11,000 deaths, remains the largest. Local health officials have raised concerns about the virus potentially mutating, prompting a meeting between the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention director and WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
There are currently no approved vaccines or treatments for the Bundibugyo strain, although trials have been authorized in Canada and the UK. Treatment trials are underway in the DRC's Ituri province, the outbreak's epicenter. However, the virus's rapid spread is exacerbated by ongoing violence by non-State armed groups in the remote and mineral-rich region, a lack of accessible healthcare for vulnerable populations, and attacks on Ebola treatment facilities.
The UN's senior Ebola coordinator in the DRC, Julian Harneis, called for increased aid to save lives and stop the Ebola outbreak.
Written by urgent.news from AllAfrica Health's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
