Congo-Kinshasa: 'This Is a Fire' - DR Congo Ebola Outbreak Is Fastest-Growing Ever, Warns WHO
The WHO has warned that the current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is the fastest-growing in history, with many cases originating from unknown transmission chains. Health officials are struggling to contain the virus as it spreads into new provinces.
Why it matters
The rapid spread of a highly lethal virus in a conflict-prone region poses a significant threat to regional stability and global health security.
Infections of the Bundibugyo species of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have reached record highs and a majority of new cases are coming from "unknown chains of transmission", the UN World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Tuesday.
Speaking to reporters in Geneva after returning from Bunia in eastern DRC's Ituri Province, at the heart of the outbreak, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, Executive Director of WHO 's Health Emergencies Programme, said that with close to 2,000 confirmed cases and more than 700 deaths across five provinces as of 11 July, the current outbreak is the third-largest ever.
"We've seen the fastest growth in a single month since the outbreak started and of all the Ebola outbreaks that we have managed," he said.
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