DR Congo Ebola outbreak set to become deadliest on record, WHO warns

The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) is spreading faster than health authorities can contain it and is on track to become the deadliest on record, according to the World Health Organization.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday that at its current pace, the outbreak is on track to eclipse the West African Ebola outbreak of 2014 to 2016, a crisis that killed more than 11,000 people and accelerated the push to develop a vaccine.

The outbreak in eastern DR Congo has killed more than 2,000 people out of more than 4,300 recorded cases, making it the fastest-moving Ebola outbreak on record. It was formally declared on May 15, though genetic sequencing later revealed the virus had actually begun circulating in February.

The outbreak is being driven by the rare Bundibugyo strain of the virus, for which no vaccine or treatment has yet been approved.

Containment efforts have been hampered by the region’s remoteness and ongoing conflict near Congo’s borders with South Sudan, Uganda and Rwanda. Many infections and deaths are occurring in communities that health teams have struggled to reach. Weak infrastructure, under-resourced clinics, circulating misinformation, and strikes by health workers over unpaid wages have further slowed the response.

Dr Abdirahman Mahamud, WHO’s director for health emergency alert and response operations, said the agency’s moderate projection has the outbreak peaking within six months. Under a more severe scenario, he said, it could stretch on for nine to 12 months.

The 2014-2016 outbreak in West Africa remains the deadliest on record, having claimed more than 11,000 lives out of roughly 28,000 cases and prompting a major international push towards vaccine development. WHO officials say the current crisis could surpass that toll if access to affected communities does not improve soon.