More than 2,000 people have died in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in less than three months since the official declaration of the Ebola outbreak. Citing government figures, Al Jazeera reported that at least 1,000 of these deaths occurred in the last three weeks as the Ebola virus spreads rapidly. As of last Tuesday, a total of 4,381 confirmed Ebola cases—including 2,011 deaths—had been recorded across five provinces in the Congo.
Second-largest outbreak in the Congo in a decade
According to reports, this is the fastest-spreading outbreak of the virus ever recorded in the Central African nation of the Congo. It marks the second-largest outbreak since the devastating epidemic that swept through West Africa between 2014 and 2016, claiming 11,310 lives.
Over 1,000 deaths in the last 20 days
Notably, the rapid spread of the Ebola epidemic has prompted international officials to call for immediate action.
WHO working to curb the spread of Ebola
Meanwhile, the WHO announced on X (formerly Twitter) that it has donated 20 beds to a local maternity ward to help maintain essential health services. Additionally, the organization has trained 100 hygienists, 100 surveillance and IPC (Infection Prevention and Control) officers, four decontamination teams, and two burial teams. WHO officials also reiterated their commitment to mobilizing all available resources to halt the spread of Ebola.
Bed capacity increased in Lita
To strengthen frontline infrastructure, the World Health Organization announced the expansion of its treatment center in Lita, Congo; this will double the facility’s capacity from the initial 40 beds to 80 beds. Humanitarian partners such as UNICEF, ALIMA, the World Food Programme, and MONUSCO are assisting the Ministry of Health in this effort. Earlier in May, reports indicated that the number of people infected with the Ebola virus had surpassed 900.
