The number of laboratory-confirmed cases of the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has risen to 1,155, of which 304 were fatal, health authorities announced yesterday, Saturday.

According to the latest bulletin from health authorities, as of Wednesday, 37 new cases and 5 new deaths were confirmed within a 24-hour period.

Health officials note that improvements in epidemiological surveillance have allowed for more timely detection of cases and confirmed the continued increase in transmission of the viruson a weekly basis.

The current outbreak, declared on May 15, is caused by the Budibugyo strain of the virus, a rarer strain for which there is no specific treatment or vaccine. Most previous outbreaks were caused by the Zaire strain of the virus, for which a vaccine is available. This is the 17th outbreak in this vast Central African country with a population of approximately 100 million.

Health authorities estimate that the virus had been circulating undetected for some time before the outbreak was declared.

The Ebola virus has claimed the lives of at least 15,000 people in Africa over the past fifty years, with the disease’s fatality rate ranging between 25% and 90%, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the deadliest outbreak claimed the lives of nearly 2,300 people out of a total of 3,500 cases between 2018 and 2020.

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Source: APE-MPE