Ebola outbreak in DR Congo becomes deadliest in its history
The outbreak was already the fastest growing on record, caused by a rare species of Ebola called Bundibugyo.
The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) has become the deadliest in its history, with a total of 2,325 deaths reported since its declaration on May 15, surpassing the 2018-2020 outbreak's death toll. The epidemic is spreading at an unprecedented rate, with UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher warning that someone dies every 30 minutes.
There is currently no approved vaccine for the Bundibugyo species responsible for the current outbreak, but several are in development, including one based on technology used for the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine. As of August 12, 4,945 confirmed cases have been recorded in DR Congo, with only 20 cases in neighboring Uganda and two in Germany and one in France.
The virus is spreading rapidly across six of DR Congo's 26 provinces, with the World Health Organization describing the transmission pace as "exceptional." Ebola is a rare but deadly viral disease, and the Bundibugyo species is even rarer, with only two prior outbreaks known. Symptoms include fever, headache, and tiredness, progressing to vomiting, diarrhea, and organ failure.
The UK's medicines regulator has approved the first human trials of a Bundibugyo vaccine developed by the University of Oxford, based on the same technology as the AstraZeneca Covid vaccine. Researchers believe the outbreak may have been spreading undetected since February, and the WHO hopes to reverse the disease's spread within three months but acknowledges that this does not mean the outbreak will be ended entirely.
Written by urgent.news from BBC World's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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