The latest Ebola outbreak is the deadliest in the history of the Democratic Republic of Congo (AFP Photo)
The deadliest ever Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has now claimed the lives of more than 3,000 people, according to the latest official toll released on Sept. 2.
The epidemic, which has hit the conflict-hit east and northeast of the country, has caused 3,007 deaths and infected 6,186 people, the Congolese National Institute of Public Health said.
The fatality rate is 48.6 percent. A total of 1,409 people have been reported to have recovered, it added.
Ebola, which is transmitted through contact with bodily fluids and causes hemorrhagic fever, has killed more than 15,000 people in Africa in the last 50 years. The worst outbreak previously recorded in DR Congo left nearly 2,300 people dead from 3,500 reported cases between 2018 and 2020.
The current outbreak originated in the remote northeastern province of Ituri and is caused by the Bundibugyo strain, for which there is currently no approved vaccine or treatment.
The virus has spread to six provinces and is ravaging areas where the presence of the Congolese state is weak.
