The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo continues to escalate. The World Health Organization now reports cases nearing 750, with 177 deaths and about 1,400 contacts being traced. This makes it the third largest Ebola outbreak on record.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says the outbreak is still spreading rapidly. The risk level at the national level has been raised from high to very high. Regional risk remains high, while global risk is low.
Officials acknowledge a delay in detecting the outbreak allowed it to grow. The earliest known suspected case was in a health worker who developed symptoms on April 24. WHO only learned of a potential outbreak on May 5, and by the time a team arrived, there were already 80 cases.
The virus involved is the uncommon Bundibugyo virus, which has no established vaccines or treatments. This forces health workers to rely on active case finding, isolation, and contact tracing. Efforts are complicated by armed conflict, population movement, weak health systems, and severe hunger in the affected areas.