The Democratic Republic of Congo's Ebola outbreak has killed more than 3,000 people out of over 6,100 confirmed cases, according to government data released Wednesday, making it the deadliest Ebola outbreak in the country's history.
A Fast-Moving Epidemic
Congo's Ministry of Health reported 6,186 confirmed cases and 3,007 deaths since the outbreak was declared a global health emergency in mid-May, figures that officials say make it the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak ever recorded. Ituri province remains the epicenter, accounting for the vast majority of both total and newly confirmed cases nationwide.
Likely Far Larger Than Official Numbers
The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said the true scale of the outbreak could be three times larger than officially recorded, pointing to weak surveillance and contact tracing in the affected region. The World Health Organization estimates roughly 60% of deaths are occurring outside treatment centers, making it especially difficult to detect cases before patients die.
No Approved Vaccine Yet
The outbreak is being driven by the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which there is currently no licensed vaccine or specific treatment. Congolese authorities have begun distributing Merck's Ervebo vaccine, which is approved for a different Ebola strain but is believed to offer some cross-protection, to front-line health workers in the northeastern Tshopo region.
Vaccines In The Pipeline
Two experimental vaccines designed specifically for the Bundibugyo strain are currently undergoing safety trials in the United Kingdom and Canada, with the World Health Organization working to advance all three candidates toward efficacy trials in Congo as soon as October or November. The outbreak has now surpassed Congo's 2018-2020 epidemic to become its worst on record, and is second only to the 2014-2016 West African outbreak in overall scale.