KINSHASA: A fast-spreading Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is now the country's deadliest ever after killing more than 2,300 people in three months, government figures showed on Monday. The United Nations says the Ebola outbreak "is the fastest growing on record" and is killing a victim every 30 minutes in the DRC. No specific vaccine or treatment exists for the Bundibugyo strain behind the current surge of Ebola, which spreads through contact with bodily fluids and causes a haemorrhagic fever.
Declared on May 15, the DRC's 17th Ebola outbreak is thought to have already been spreading for several weeks by that point. It has hit regions in the north and east where the presence of the state is weak, health infrastructure is largely lacking and myriad armed groups have roamed for decades.
In its latest toll on Monday, the Congolese authorities said that 2,325 people had died in the current outbreak, from 4,945 confirmed cases. The WHO last week said it hoped to reverse the spread of the disease in the DRC within three months. Access to affected communities is also hampered by armed groups, aid groups say. — AFP
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