DRC Ebola Outbreak Death Toll Rises to 1,657, Cases Near 3,700

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has reported a grim toll from the ongoing Ebola outbreak, with the number of deaths rising to 1,657 and confirmed cases reaching 3,748 as of August 1.

The outbreak, declared on May 15 in the eastern Ituri province, has now spread to four other provinces: North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uele, and Tshopo. The Ministry of Communication reported a current fatality rate of 44.2%. In addition to the confirmed cases, 690 patients are undergoing isolation or hospitalization, and 708 individuals have recovered. Surveillance, investigation, and laboratory teams remain mobilized, analyzing hundreds of samples and investigating over 1,000 alerts in the past 24 hours, with a contact tracing rate of 80.1%.

This epidemic has become the second-largest in history by the number of infections and the largest within the DRC, surpassing the 2018-2020 outbreak in the same region. The World Health Organization (WHO) notes that this outbreak is growing faster than any other since its declaration. However, it remains significantly smaller than the West Africa epidemic of 2014-2016, which caused approximately 11,000 deaths and 28,000 cases.

The epidemic initially spread to Uganda, which registered 20 confirmed cases, including 15 imported from the DRC, resulting in two deaths. Uganda declared itself Ebola-free on July 28 after 42 days without new local infections. The current outbreak involves the Bundibugyo strain, which has a 30-50% fatality rate and no authorized vaccine or specific treatment. The WHO assesses the risk of further spread in sub-Saharan Africa as high, while the global risk is considered low. Ebola virus is transmitted through direct contact with bodily fluids of infected people or animals and causes severe hemorrhagic fever.

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The surveillance, investigation, and laboratory devices remain fully mobilized, with more than 1,000 alerts investigated and hundreds of samples analyzed in the last 24 hours.