DRC's Ebola virus outbreak likely to become worst in history, WHO says. Here's why
The World Health Organization warns that the current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is on track to become the deadliest in history. Health officials are struggling to contain the virus due to regional armed conflict and the rapid pace of transmission.
Why it matters
The potential for this outbreak to surpass previous death tolls poses a significant threat to global health security and regional stability in Central Africa.
The DRC's Ebola virus outbreak is likely to become the worst in history, the WHO says. Here's why A By Andrew Thorpe
Link copied Share Share article The Ebola outbreak taking place in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is on track to become the deadliest on record, according to the director-general of the World Health Organization.
"It is already the second-biggest Ebola epidemic on record, and it is moving faster than any previous Ebola outbreak," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday.
The highly transmissible virus, which causes sudden flu-like symptoms before progressing to vomiting, diarrhoea and potential organ failure , has overwhelmed the health system in the DRC's north-east, a part of the world already gripped by armed conflict and food insecurity.
Aid workers carry the coffin of a small child who died of Ebola in the town of Mongbwalu. ( Reuters: Gradel Muyisa Mumbere )
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