DR Congo Ebola outbreak now third largest on record, WHO reports 2124 cases 828 deaths as of July 16
Eastern DR Congo's Ebola outbreak is now the third largest on record and spreading faster than any before it. WHO reports 2,124 confirmed cases and 828 deaths as of July 16. Over 80% of new infections are surfacing outside known contact lists, meaning transmission is running unde
Eastern DR Congo's Ebola outbreak is now the third largest on record and, according to WHO, spreading faster during its first month than any previous Ebola epidemic. As of July 16 the Democratic Republic of the Congo has reported 2,124 confirmed cases and 828 related deaths, up 51 cases and 32 deaths from the day before. Ituri province is bearing the brunt with 1,904 cases and 692 deaths across 27 of its 36 health zones. The detail that worries public health teams most is not the raw count but where the cases are coming from. More than 80% of new infections are being detected outside known contact lists, which means the virus is moving through chains that responders have not yet mapped. An outbreak that spreads faster than it can be traced is far harder to contain, and it raises the risk of cases slipping across borders. One US humanitarian worker who tested positive in the DRC was already medically evacuated to Germany on July 13. Uganda offers the contrast. After 20 confirmed cases and two deaths since May, it discharged its last patient on July 16 and began the 42-day countdown to declaring its outbreak over. The two trajectories, one closing and one still accelerating, show how much the response inside the DRC now matters.