Ebola outbreak claims 2,325 lives in Democratic Republic of Congo
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An Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has claimed 2,325 lives, surpassing the death toll from the 2018-2020 outbreak and making it the deadliest in the country's history. The public health institute reported 4,945 confirmed cases, the highest number of cases ever recorded in the country. The outbreak, the 17th in the nation's history, has been the largest in terms of case numbers.
The case fatality ratio has increased from around 20 percent to 46 percent, indicating that nearly half of all confirmed cases are fatal. The current outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo species of Ebola, which lacks approved vaccines or treatments. Despite the outbreak being declared three months ago, weak health infrastructure, community resistance, and instability have hampered efforts to identify and treat cases.
Experts believe the rising case fatality ratio is due to persistent shortcomings in surveillance, case detection, and access to care, rather than the virus becoming more lethal.
Written by urgent.news from New Straits Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
