MORE than 1,500 people have died from Ebola in the latest outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), as health authorities battle one of the fastest-growing epidemics on record.
The Congolese government said on Thursday that 1,521 people had been confirmed dead from the virus since the outbreak began in late April, while laboratory-confirmed infections rose to 3,442 cases.
Official figures showed the fatality rate stood at 44 per cent, indicating that nearly half of all confirmed Ebola cases recorded during the outbreak had resulted in death.
Health experts believe the actual number of infections could be significantly higher, citing concerns that many cases remained undetected or unreported in affected communities.
According to experts, evidence suggests the virus may have circulated for several months before the outbreak was officially detected and declared in mid-May.
The rapid increase in infections has raised global concern, with health agencies warning that the outbreak is expanding at an unprecedented pace compared to previous epidemics.
Carl Skau, Deputy Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP), described the outbreak as the fastest-growing Ebola epidemic recorded to date.
“This is the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak of all time. In West Africa, it took eight months for 1,000 people to die,” Skau said on Wednesday.
The deadliest Ebola outbreak on record occurred in West Africa between 2014 and 2015, claiming more than 11,000 lives across several countries in the region.
The second-largest outbreak was recorded in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo between 2018 and 2020, when approximately 2,300 people died from the disease.
Ebola is transmitted through direct physical contact, particularly exposure to the bodily fluids of infected persons, and can cause severe illness and death if not promptly treated.
Health authorities continue to intensify surveillance, treatment and containment measures as efforts are underway to curb the spread of the virus and prevent further fatalities. (dpa/NAN)
