The death toll from the Democratic Republic of Congo's Ebola outbreak has reached 796 among more than 2,000 confirmed cases, making it the third-largest Ebola epidemic on record and spreading faster than any previous outbreak, the World Health Organization warned.
The surge comes as over 80% of new cases are appearing outside known contact lists, and about two-thirds of deaths are occurring in communities where patients never reach health facilities. The Bundibugyo strain driving the epidemic, first declared on 15 May, took the 2018–2020 outbreak more than 10 months to reach 2,000 cases; this one did so in two. Uganda, which had reported cross-border cases, now reports no active patients.
Clinical trials for a ChAdOx1 vaccine and an obeldesivir prophylaxis began this week, joining ongoing treatment trials in Ituri. Security remains a concern after a treatment centre in Bunia was attacked on 15 July, and the joint WHO–Africa CDC response faces a shortfall exceeding $400 million.