Congo’s fast-moving Ebola outbreak becomes the country’s worst with over 2,300 dead

Bunia, Congo (AP) — Congo's swift-moving Ebola outbreak has claimed over 2,300 lives, making it the deadliest Ebola outbreak in the nation's history. The epidemic in one of the most vulnerable regions of Congo is the fastest-growing on record, with a total of 4,945 cases and 2,325 deaths, according to official figures released on Sunday.

This outbreak marks Congo's 17th and largest Ebola outbreak to date. The death toll surpasses that of the country's 2018-2020 Ebola outbreak, which resulted in 2,299 deaths out of 3,481 cases. As of the latest data, 101 new cases and 33 deaths have been reported within the past 24 hours. Over 1,000 individuals have recovered, but 730 are still hospitalized or under isolation.

The outbreak has infected and killed more people in a shorter period than any other outbreak in history. The World Health Organization (WHO) predicts that it may surpass the 2014-16 Ebola outbreak in West Africa, which was the deadliest on record with over 11,000 deaths. There are currently no approved vaccines or treatments for the Bundibugyo virus causing the current outbreak, which has spread across six provinces in eastern Congo.

Trials for potential vaccines and treatments are underway in Ituri province, the outbreak's epicenter. The majority of new cases and fatalities are occurring outside of monitored individuals. Other challenges include strikes by underpaid health workers, threats from rebel groups, community anger due to long-standing trauma, difficult-to-reach territories due to poor infrastructure, and misinformation claiming that Ebola is not a real threat.

The WHO warned on Saturday that the outbreak is still moving at an "exceptional pace" as it prepares for efforts to track and contain it, noting that it reached a weekly record of 579 cases and 304 deaths in the previous week.