Ebola cases in Congo top 3,200, nearing record of the country’s worst outbreak
An Ebola outbreak in Congo has reached 3,262 cases, nearly matching the country's largest recorded outbreak from 2018-2020. Health officials are struggling to contain the virus due to rebel violence, lack of approved vaccines for this specific strain, and strikes by medical workers.
Why it matters
The rapid spread of a vaccine-resistant Ebola strain in a conflict-ridden region poses a significant threat to regional and global public health security.
Confirmed cases in Congo 's ongoing Ebola outbreak have reached 3,262, its Ministry of Health said in an overnight update, nearly the same as the 2018-2020 outbreak that is the largest ever recorded in the country.
Data from the Congolese Health Ministry showed that 1,437 patients have died out of the 3,262 cases, in what officials have said is the fastest Ebola outbreak on record, concentrated in the eastern Ituri Province.
The 2018-2020 outbreak that was recorded in Congo and neighboring Uganda lasted roughly two years, with more than 3,400 reported cases, including over 2,200 deaths, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.
Only the 2014-2016 outbreak across West Africa, considered the worst in history, had a higher toll with 28,000 cases and more than 11,000 deaths.
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