"Over 6,000 Infected, Half Dead"... DR Congo on Alert Amid 'Worst-Ever Ebola Outbreak'

Ebola: 6,041 Total Confirmed Cases, 2,911 Deaths
WHO Maintains Public Health Emergency of International Concern

The number of confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) has exceeded 6,000 as the Ebola virus continues to spread rapidly throughout the country.

Abs Virus Ebola. Getty Images

On August 31 (local time), the Ministry of Communications of DR Congo announced via X (formerly Twitter) that the cumulative number of confirmed cases had risen to 6,041, with 2,911 fatalities reported so far.

The health authorities in DR Congo are conducting quarantine and relief efforts in the six provinces where Ebola is spreading. In particular, they are focusing resources on Ituri, North Kivu, and Haut-Uele regions.

This outbreak, officially declared on May 15, is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a rare strain for which there are currently no approved vaccines or treatments—unlike previous epidemics. While there is no approved vaccine for the Bundibugyo strain as of now, experimental vaccine development is underway.

This Ebola outbreak is seeing fatalities increase at the fastest rate in history, surpassing the previous largest outbreak between 2018 and 2020. It is now recorded as the largest epidemic ever in the history of the DR Congo, which is located in Central Africa.

On May 29th (local time), medical staff were transporting meals to patients at the Ebola treatment center in Lewampara, Congo. Photo by AP Yonhap News

While Ebola outbreaks are rare, the disease is extremely contagious. It is transmitted through bodily fluids such as vomit, blood, or semen of infected individuals, and can be fatal if it progresses to a severe stage. The rising number of cases with unknown transmission routes has made it difficult for health authorities to keep up with the pace of the spread. There have also been setbacks in frontline response due to attacks targeting medical facilities and quarantine teams, alongside strikes by medical workers.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has maintained the designation of the current Ebola outbreak as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.