The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRCongo) has surpassed the mark of 4,200 deaths and is close to reaching nine thousand cases, according to the latest report issued by Congolese health authorities.
According to the National Institute of Public Health (INSP), using data collected up to October 7, the outbreak, which was officially reported in the eastern region of DRCongo on May 15, has accumulated 8,787 confirmed cases, including 4,242 deaths.
INSP reported that the current case fatality rate for the virus is 48.3%. Furthermore, 2,292 patients have recovered from the disease, while another 980 remain hospitalized and under isolation.
Health authorities emphasized that the contact tracing rate is at 80% and requires 'special attention' to prevent the uncontrolled spread of new transmission chains.
The epidemic is affecting 64 health posts in seven of the 26 provinces of DRCongo, covering regions such as Ituri (east), Tshopo (north-central), Bas-Uélé (north), Haut-Uélé (northeast), North Kivu (east), South Kivu (east), and South Ubangi (northwest).
This outbreak represents the second deadliest in world history, although it still falls short of the most severe record, which occurred in West Africa between 2014 and 2016, registering about 28 thousand cases and approximately 11 thousand deaths.
The situation has also expanded to Uganda, where the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the end of the outbreak on August 26, after counting 20 confirmed cases, 15 of which were imported from DRCongo, resulting in two deaths.
The Bundibugyo strain, responsible for the current epidemic, does not have specific medical treatments available. However, the WHO is developing two vaccines that have already undergone human trials and have been considered safe so far, although the development process may take months.
The Ebola virus is transmitted through direct contact with the body fluids of infected individuals or animals and causes severe symptoms such as hemorrhagic fever, vomiting, diarrhea, and internal bleeding.