Crossing a grim threshold, the Democratic Republic of Congo has now logged more than 1,000 Ebola infections in its latest outbreak, which has already claimed over 250 lives, according to official figures.
The country’s National Institute of Public Health (INSP) reported 1,003 confirmed cases and 254 deaths, putting the fatality rate at 25%.
Health authorities declared the current outbreak of the deadly haemorrhagic fever on 15 May.
Nearly all infections have been concentrated in Ituri province in the northeast, an area long strained by conflict and the presence of armed groups.
Overall, three provinces have been touched by the outbreak: Ituri, neighbouring North Kivu and South Kivu, an expanse that is home to roughly 15 million people.
The virus has also crossed into Uganda. There, the World Health Organization has documented 20 cases and two deaths, although Kampala said earlier this month that the situation was “under control”.
Officials say the outbreak is being driven by the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which there is no vaccine or specific treatment.
Vaccines developed between 2018 and 2019 do not cover this variant; they protect only against the Zaire strain, which fuelled earlier major outbreaks.
The World Health Organization has declared the crisis an international public health emergency and warned the outbreak could persist for months.
