2,500 dead and rising -- UN says DR Congo Ebola outbreak 'growing exponentially'
The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is spreading exponentially, with over 2,500 deaths reported and half occurring in the last 20 days. UN and health officials warn that the epidemic is outpacing current response efforts across a vast geographic area.
Why it matters
The rapid acceleration of the outbreak poses a significant threat to regional public health and highlights the difficulties of managing disease in conflict-prone areas.
The Ebola outbreak raging in the Democratic Republic of Congo is growing “exponentially”, with more than 2,500 deaths recorded and half of those in the last 20 days, the senior UN coordinator on the disease said Friday.
The Ebola outbreak is already the biggest in the country’s history and is spreading faster than any outbreak of the deadly virus on record.
According to the latest figures, the virus is “growing exponentially,” Julien Harneis told reporters in Geneva from Bunia, at the epicentre of the outbreak.
He said that in the last three months, “more than 2,500 people” had died, “and half of those in the last 20 days”.
“The epidemic is spreading widely. It’s now covering an area that is bigger than France…. It is growing faster and wider than the Ebola response.”
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