Confirmed Ebola cases in Congo have reached 3,262, nearly matching the record of the country's largest outbreak. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Associated Press.
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 in Congo and neighboring Uganda lasted roughly two years, with more than 3,400 reported cases, including over 2,200 deaths. Only the 2014-2016 outbreak across West Africa had a higher toll with 28,000 cases and more than 11,000 deaths.
The speed of transmission in the current outbreak comes amid concerns from residents that many communities in the affected provinces are either unreachable or have been abandoned by responders due to safety concerns.
"The fact that, in just 10 weeks, we have reached nearly the same number of cases recorded over an almost two-year outbreak is alarming and should stop us in our tracks," said Onesphore Bangenza, Mercy Corps response team lead in Bunia. "There is no doubt that the virus is moving faster than we can contain it," Bangenza added.
The ongoing outbreak, declared on May 15, continues.