Ebola Kills 1,707 in DR Congo, Fastest-Growing Outbreak Ever
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- Ebola has killed 1,707 people and infected 3,802 in eastern Congo since the outbreak was declared May 15, per the latest government data — the fastest death rate ever recorded, outpacing the 2014-2016 epidemic that took about eight months to reach 1,000 deaths.
- Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya said contact tracing is "not working," noting 60-70% of new cases stem from community spread rather than traced contacts, with patient zero still unidentified in the outbreak.
- WHO is monitoring over 17,000 potential contacts and has scaled testing to more than 2,000 samples a day from just 20 previously, according to regional director Mohamed Janabi; WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is expected to visit Bunia this week.
- Ituri province accounts for nearly 90% of cases, though the outbreak has spread to five other provinces including Kisangani, one of the country's largest cities; neighboring Uganda declared itself Ebola-free after discharging its last patient in mid-June.
- The Bundibugyo virus strain fueling this outbreak has no approved vaccines or treatments, though two clinical drug trials are underway in Ituri and two vaccine trials are running in the UK and Canada.
- Healthcare workers in Mongbwalu issued a 24-hour ultimatum over unpaid wages; more than 100 health workers have been infected since the outbreak began, and earlier strikes hit Bunia over pay and dangerous conditions.
- Armed conflict, community mistrust, funding gaps, and attacks on health centers continue to hamper the response, the Africa CDC said.
Why it matters: The Bundibugyo strain has no approved vaccine, and contact tracing is failing — two-thirds of new cases now spread undetected within communities. With 17,000 contacts to monitor daily and over 100 health workers already infected, the trained workforce needed to contain the outbreak is itself being eroded.
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