Symbolic imageCongo Ebola cases pass 4,400 as UN warns of doubling every 20 days
Confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo have reached 4,449, with 2,061 deaths, government data showed on Tuesday. Health officials call it the fastest-spreading outbreak on record.
The Telegraph reports that the UN chief has warned the epidemic is doubling roughly every 20 days and is on track to eclipse the West African outbreak of 2014 to 2016, which the WHO recorded at 28,616 cases and 11,310 deaths. Figures from Congo's public health institute, released late on Tuesday, 11 August, list confirmed cases in five provinces, and deaths have climbed from 1,000 to 2,000 in under a month, against just over 12 months in the country's 2018 to 2020 outbreak. The National attributes the pace to delayed detection, conflict and strained health services, with supply shortages and insecurity hampering contact tracing and the isolation of patients.
No approved vaccine for this strain
Congo's 17th outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo species of Ebola, for which no vaccines or treatments are approved. The World Health Organisation has declared it a public health emergency of international concern, after cases also appeared in neighbouring Uganda.
Transmission may date to January
A study published last month in the journal Science found that transmission may have begun in January or earlier in Ituri province, identifying more than 500 suspected cases between mid-January and 15 May.