rki.news | Source: Xinhua
KINSHASA, Aug. 17: The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is accelerating rapidly, raising fears it could become the largest Ebola epidemic ever recorded, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned.
The DRC has reported 4,945 confirmed cases and 2,325 deaths since the outbreak began, with a case fatality rate of 47 percent. Another 1,040 people have recovered, according to the latest figures from health authorities.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the outbreak was moving faster than any previous Ebola epidemic and could surpass the devastating 2014-2016 West Africa outbreak, which infected more than 28,600 people and killed over 11,000.
Cases have been detected in 55 health zones across six provinces, with Ituri accounting for nearly 85 percent of confirmed cases.
UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher warned that the virus was spreading at an unprecedented pace and called for expanded treatment facilities, contact tracing and safe burial teams.
The response faces serious challenges from armed conflict, displacement, weak infrastructure and limited access to healthcare, while other diseases continue to strain the country’s health system.
DRC Ebola Outbreak Threatens to Become World’s Largest
