Ebola outbreak in DR Congo becomes deadliest in country’s history
Case fatality ratio rises from 20% in June to 46%, meaning nearly one in two confirmed cases now proves fatal.
The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has claimed 2,325 lives, surpassing the toll of the 2018-2020 outbreak to become the deadliest in the country's history. Confirmed cases have risen to 4,945, with 101 new cases reported in the past 24 hours. The outbreak, now Congo's 17th, was already the largest in terms of case numbers, reaching this milestone in late July.
Despite having three months to declare the outbreak, it has already surpassed the total deaths from West Africa's 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, which recorded 28,616 cases and 11,310 deaths. No approved vaccines or treatments currently exist for the Bundibugyo species of Ebola responsible for the current outbreak.
The case fatality ratio has risen from around 20% to 46%, indicating that nearly half of confirmed cases are now fatal. Experts attribute this trend to shortcomings in surveillance, case detection and access to care, rather than an increased lethality of the virus.
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