The number of laboratory-confirmed cases of the Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has risen to 1,155, with 304 proving fatal, health authorities announced on Friday.
According to the latest bulletin from health officials, 37 new cases and five deaths were recorded within a single 24-hour period as of Wednesday.
Surveillance improvements reveal scale of spread
Health officials noted that enhanced epidemiological surveillance has enabled earlier detection of cases, while also confirming a continuing rise in weekly transmission rates.
An unusual and untreatable strain
The current outbreak, declared on 15 May, is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the virus -- a rarer variant for which there is no specific treatment or approved vaccine. Most previous outbreaks have been linked to the Zaire strain, for which a vaccine exists. This is the 17th outbreak recorded in the DRC, a central African country of approximately 100 million people.
Health authorities believe the virus had been circulating undetected for some time before the outbreak was officially declared.
A deadly disease with a long history in Africa
The Ebola virus has killed at least 15,000 people across Africa over the past fifty years. The World Health Organisation (WHO) places the disease's fatality rate at between 25% and 90%.
The deadliest outbreak ever recorded in the DRC occurred between 2018 and 2020, claiming nearly 2,300 lives out of approximately 3,500 confirmed cases.
