Ebola outbreak in DRC the fastest growing in the history of the virus
The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has become the fastest-growing in the virus's history, with over 3,300 confirmed cases. Conflict, high population density, and mining activities are complicating containment efforts in the Ituri province.
Why it matters
The rapid spread of a high-fatality virus in a conflict-ridden region poses a significant threat to regional stability and global public health security.
The latest numbers of confirmed cases of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has made this latest outbreak the fastest growing in the known history of the virus.
At 3,360 confirmed cases, the disease is now affecting people in five provinces in the east of the DRC, with 1,487 deaths recorded, representing an overall case fatality rate estimated at about 45 per cent, according to Congolese health officials. Health responses to the outbreak have been badly hampered by conflict in many of the affected areas.
“I fear that, at some point, life may come to a standstill here in our province of Ituri,” said Deborah Nzuva, a mother of four who lives in Rwampara, one of the affected regions.
“We were already in a precarious situation before the Ebola virus disease, which continues to claim its victims.”
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