The death toll from the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has surpassed 2,000, marking another major milestone in what health officials describe as the country’s fastest-spreading outbreak of the virus.
Data from Congo’s public health institute showed that 2,011 people have died from confirmed Ebola infections, while the number of confirmed cases has risen to 4,381 across five provinces.
The outbreak has spread more rapidly than previous Ebola epidemics in the country, with health officials citing delayed detection, insecurity and severe pressure on health services as major factors complicating containment efforts.
The current epidemic is Congo’s 17th Ebola outbreak and is being driven by the Bundibugyo strain of the virus, for which there are currently no approved vaccines or treatments.
The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern. Cases have also been reported in neighbouring Uganda, raising fears of further cross-border transmission.
Research published last month in the journal Science suggested the outbreak may have begun as early as January in Ituri province. Researchers identified more than 500 suspected cases between mid-January and May 15.
Medical supply shortages and continuing insecurity in some affected areas have hampered efforts to identify contacts, isolate infected patients and interrupt transmission chains.
The latest figures make the outbreak the second-largest Ebola epidemic ever recorded, behind only the 2014-2016 West Africa outbreak.
That epidemic resulted in 28,616 reported cases and 11,310 deaths in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, according to the WHO.
However, the speed of the current outbreak in Congo has caused particular concern. While the West African epidemic took nearly five months after its declaration to reach 1,000 deaths, Congo’s current outbreak has surpassed 2,000 deaths in less than three months.
During Congo’s 2018-2020 Ebola epidemic, it took slightly more than a year for the death toll to reach 2,000.
In the current outbreak, the number of deaths has doubled from 1,000 to more than 2,000 in less than a month, highlighting the rapid pace at which the disease is spreading.