DR Congo Ebola cases top 5,300 as UN warns outbreak ‘growing exponentially’
The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has reached over 5,300 cases and 2,550 deaths, with UN officials warning that the epidemic is spreading faster than the response. Funding shortages and regional insecurity are severely hindering containment efforts.
Why it matters
The rapid spread of a deadly virus in a conflict-prone region poses a significant threat to global health security and humanitarian stability.
KINSHASA – The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has surpassed 5,300 confirmed cases and 2,550 deaths, as a senior United Nations official warned that the country's deadliest-ever Ebola epidemic is "growing exponentially" and outpacing the response.
The DRC has recorded 5,375 confirmed cases and 2,557 deaths across six provinces as of Thursday, according to the latest figures released Saturday by the country's public health authorities. The overall case fatality rate stood at 47.6 percent.
A total of 1,167 patients have recovered.
Briefing reporters Friday from Bunia, capital of Ituri province, UN Senior Ebola Coordinator Julien Harneis warned that the outbreak was "growing exponentially," with half of all deaths recorded in just the previous 20 days.
"The epidemic is spreading to an area that is bigger than France," Harneis said, warning that the outbreak was "growing faster and wider than the Ebola response."
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