DRC Ebola outbreak becomes deadliest in the country's history as case fatality rate nears 48%
The WHO confirms 5,515 cases and 2,642 deaths in the Democratic Republic of Congo's Ebola outbreak since mid-May, with the fatality rate climbing from about 20% in June to nearly 48% now. Armed conflict is hampering the response as vaccine doses begin arriving.
The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, caused by the rarer Bundibugyo strain, has become the deadliest in the country's history: 5,515 confirmed cases and 2,642 deaths since the epidemic was declared in mid-May, with the case fatality rate climbing from about 20% in June to nearly 48% now. The WHO has placed it at its highest alert level, a Public Health Emergency of International Concern also covering Uganda. Response efforts are being hampered by armed conflict, displacement, and attacks on health workers, around 160 of whom have themselves been infected. The WHO has pledged 70,000 doses of the Ervebo vaccine, with the first shipment already in the country, and Pope Leo has called for international action to help save lives.