Ebola outbreak the deadliest ever - WHO
The WHO warns that the current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is on track to become the deadliest in history, with over 2,000 deaths recorded. Health officials are struggling to contain the virus, which was initially misdiagnosed, and are now fast-tracking vaccine trials.
Why it matters
The rapid spread of the Bundibugyo species of Ebola poses a significant global health threat, necessitating urgent international intervention and vaccine development.
The WHO says the runaway outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo is likely to overtake the deadliest outbreak of the disease ever – a decade ago, reports the BBC .
The agency’s director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said that the 2026 outbreak, “at its current pace”, would “eclipse” that of the 2014-2016 occurrence, which killed at least 11 000 people.
At least 4 300 cases have been recorded so far, with more than 2 000 deaths.
The WHO said last week that it hoped to reverse the spread of the disease within three months but warned that this meant bringing transmission under control, not ending the outbreak entirely.
Although the epidemic was only officially declared in May, it is believed the outbreak began at least three months before then, health officials said.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in