The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has killed 2,325 people, government data showed on Sunday, surpassing the toll from the 2018-2020 outbreak to become the deadliest in the country’s history.
The DRC’s public health institute said in its latest report confirmed cases had risen to 4,945, including 101 new cases detected in the previous 24 hours.
The outbreak, the DRC’s 17th, was already the biggest in the country’s history in terms of number of cases, a milestone reached in late July. The latest government data shows the total number of deaths has surpassed the 2,299 deaths recorded in the DRC’s 2018-2020 outbreak, which was previously the country’s worst on record.
There are now 4,945 confirmed cases, the data showed.
By the numbers
- 2,325: Total deaths reported so far, surpassing the 2018–2020 outbreak to make this the deadliest Ebola crisis in the DRC’s history.
- 4,945: Total confirmed cases, with 101 new cases detected within a single 24-hour window.
- 46%: Current case fatality rate — up from about 20% in June — meaning nearly one in every two confirmed cases is fatal.
- Three months: The time it took for this outbreak to surpass 2,000 deaths, compared to nearly five months during the major West Africa outbreak.
- 0: Approved vaccines or specific treatments available to combat the Bundibugyo species driving the outbreak
Three months after it was formally announced, the outbreak is dwarfed only by West Africa’s 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak, in which 28,616 cases and 11,310 deaths were recorded across Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
It took nearly five months from the declaration of that outbreak to hit 1,000 deaths, whereas the DRC’s current outbreak hit 2,000 deaths in less than three months.
No available treatments for rare species
The current outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo species of Ebola, which has no approved vaccines or treatments. The outbreak has gained momentum since it was declared on May 15 as weak health infrastructure, community resistance and instability hinder efforts to identify and respond to cases.
The proportion of people dying from the outbreak after a confirmed infection, known as the case fatality ratio, has risen from about 20% in early June to 46%, according to government data, meaning nearly one in every two confirmed cases is fatal.
Experts said the trend does not indicate the virus has become more lethal. Instead, it points to persistent shortcomings in surveillance, case detection and access to care.
“Normally, as an outbreak progresses, the case fatality ratio should fall as contact tracing improves and patients are identified and treated earlier,” said Thomas Parisch, a public health specialist recently deployed to the DRC with Medecins Sans Frontieres.
The fatality rate has surged to nearly 50%, driven by a missing defence line: zero approved vaccines or treatments
“Instead, we’re still seeing many cases detected very late, when treatment is less likely to succeed, with many identified only after they die in the community.”
A small number of experimental vaccines and therapies are being evaluated, while global health authorities assess whether existing Ebola treatments could offer protection. Evidence so far is limited to animal studies.
The outbreak earlier spread to neighbouring Uganda, but authorities there managed to limit deaths to two and confirmed cases to 20 before declaring an end to the outbreak in the country last month. Ebola spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected people, living or dead. It can cause fever, vomiting, diarrhoea and, in severe cases, internal and external bleeding.
Reuters
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