Over 6,000 Ebola cases confirmed in DRC as death toll nears 3,000

The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has topped prior surges – becoming the worst the country has experienced – as new data confirms there are now over 6,000 confirmed cases and nearly 3,000 deaths.

There is currently no approved vaccine or treatment for the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, which is rapidly spreading across the country.

The current Ebola outbreak is “the fastest-spreading Ebola epidemic ever recorded”, according to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, as people continue to be infected with the virus faster than frontline workers can track and respond to new cases. This is partly due to many new infections occurring among people who are not being monitored through contract tracing, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

The DRC Ministry of Communications said on social media that 6,041 cases have been confirmed, “including 1,366 recoveries and 2,911 deaths. [Another] 619 patients are in isolation or hospitalised.”

The response to the outbreak faces several challenges as cases are mostly concentrated in the eastern provinces of the DRC where densely-populated areas experience insecurity related to armed conflict, displacement and pre-existing humanitarian challenges.

The medical charity Doctors Without Borders says existing health needs, as well as airport closures and flight restrictions, are complicating the provision of healthcare, disrupting the flow of staff, diagnostics, referrals and supply chains.

Frontline healthcare workers went on strike in early August to protest their unpaid wages and the dire working conditions.

Uganda was declared free of the Ebola virus after no new cases were reported for 42 days on August 28.