Congo’s Ebola outbreak is on track to surpass the deadliest one in history, WHO chief says
- The ongoing Ebola outbreak in Congo is on track to surpass the deadliest outbreak in history, which killed over 11,000 people.
- The outbreak in eastern Congo has killed over 2,000 people out of more than 4,300 cases.
- This outbreak is caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus, which has no approved vaccines or treatments.
- Health authorities indicate that the outbreak began months earlier than officially declared, in February.
- Efforts to manage the outbreak are hindered by ongoing conflict and poor infrastructure in the region.
The ongoing Ebola outbreak in Congo is on track to surpass the deadliest one in history, which erupted over a decade ago and killed over 11,000 people, the head of the World Health Organization said Wednesday.
At its current pace, it’s on track to eclipse the West African Ebola outbreak of 2014 to 2016, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters. The outbreak in eastern Congo, considered the fastest-growing one yet, has killed over 2,000 people out of more than 4,300 cases.
The outbreak was declared on May 15, but health authorities now say sequencing showed it began months earlier, in February. It is unlike recent Ebola outbreaks because the rare Bundibugyo virus responsible for it has no approved vaccines or treatments, though efforts to address that are underway.
Experts say this outbreak is moving faster than efforts to track and manage it in a remote part of eastern Congo facing ongoing conflict, near the borders with South Sudan, Uganda, and Rwanda.
刚果的埃博拉疫情有望超过历史上最致命的疫情，世卫组织负责人表示
目前刚果的埃博拉疫情有望超过历史上最致命的疫情，该疫情在十多年前爆发，造成超过11,000人死亡，世卫组织负责人于周三表示。
世卫组织负责人Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus告诉记者，按照目前的速度，这次疫情有望超过2014年至2016年西非埃博拉疫情。东刚果的疫情被认为是迄今为止增长最快的疫情，已导致超过2,000人死亡，病例超过4,300例。
该疫情于5月15日被宣布，但卫生当局现在表示，基因测序显示其实际上早在2月份就已经开始。此次疫情与近期的埃博拉疫情不同，因为导致这次疫情的罕见Bundibugyo病毒没有批准的疫苗或治疗方法，尽管相关的努力正在进行中。
专家表示，这次疫情的传播速度超过了在东刚果偏远地区追踪和管理疫情的努力，该地区面临持续的冲突，靠近南苏丹、乌干达和卢旺达的边界。