A U.S. citizen working for a humanitarian organization in the Democratic Republic of Congo has tested positive for the Bundibugyo variant of the Ebola virus, health sources confirmed Friday, as the outbreak's confirmed case count climbed to 1,830.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention warned on July 9 that the outbreak is spreading at the fastest rate ever recorded, with 648 deaths now registered since the World Health Organization declared the outbreak in mid-May. While 284 patients have recovered and 780 remain under treatment, no new cases have been reported in South Kivu province for 42 days.
There is currently no approved vaccine or specific therapy targeting the Bundibugyo strain, complicating the international response to what has become one of the most severe Ebola outbreaks in recent years.