Confirmed Ebola cases in DR Congo pass 5,000 as containment efforts falter
The number of confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo has surpassed 5,000, with health officials acknowledging that current response measures are failing to stop the spread. The outbreak has become the country's worst on record and the second-deadliest globally.
Government data released in the Democratic Republic of Congo show that confirmed Ebola cases in the country have now topped 5,000. Health officials say efforts to bring the outbreak under control are not succeeding.
The epidemic, the country's 17th since Ebola was first identified, became the largest in DR Congo's history by case count in late July. Over the past weekend, the death toll reached 2,378, according to the national public health institute, surpassing the previous record outbreak of 2018-2020.
Second-worst outbreak worldwide
The institute's latest report puts the total case count at 5,021, making this the second-worst Ebola outbreak recorded globally in terms of both infections and deaths, trailing only the 2014-2016 epidemic in West Africa.
The current outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo species of the Ebola virus, for which no vaccines or treatments have yet been approved. Case numbers have accelerated since the outbreak was officially declared on May 15.
Health authorities point to several factors hampering efforts to identify and respond to cases, including weak health infrastructure, resistance within affected communities, regional instability, and protests among response workers themselves.
