WHO says Congo's Ebola outbreak is on track to surpass the deadliest one in history

The ongoing Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo, caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus, is on track to surpass the deadliest previous outbreak in history, which killed over 11,000 people in West Africa from 2014 to 2016, according to Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, head of the World Health Organization. As of now, the Congo outbreak has resulted in 2,000 deaths among more than 4,300 cases.

Health authorities have declared that the outbreak began in February, though sequencing suggests it started months earlier. Unlike recent Ebola outbreaks, this one is particularly challenging due to the lack of approved vaccines or treatments for the Bundibugyo virus and the difficult-to-reach communities in a region with ongoing conflict, poor infrastructure, and ill-equipped health centers.

Some health workers have gone on strike due to lack of pay and misinformation has spread in communities, causing some people to avoid seeking medical help. WHO expects the peak of the outbreak to occur within six months, but a worst-case scenario could see the outbreak lasting nine to twelve months. Clinical trials of two treatments and two vaccines for the Bundibugyo virus are underway, and WHO is also testing whether an existing Ebola vaccine could provide protection against this specific virus.