UN says Congo Ebola outbreak death toll exceeds 2,500
The United Nations says the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is spreading exponentially as funding nears exhaustion and health workers face attacks.
Bunia, Democratic Republic of Congo. More than 2,500 people have died in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Ebola outbreak, which a senior United Nations coordinator said is spreading exponentially across an area larger than France.
Outbreak scale
UN Ebola coordinator Julien Harneis, speaking by video call from Bunia on Friday, said Congo’s 17th Ebola epidemic had become the country’s largest by case numbers in late July, surpassing the previous worst outbreak of 2018 to 2020.
The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo species of Ebola, for which there are no approved vaccines or treatments.
“The Ebola outbreak is growing exponentially,” Harneis said. “The epidemic is spreading to an area that is bigger than France, and the outbreak is growing faster and wider than the Ebola response.”
He said the outbreak was unfolding in an area affected by three decades of conflict and significant humanitarian needs.
Funding and threats to health workers
Harneis called for increased aid, warning that an existing funding pool was expected to run out within weeks.
He said about 160 healthcare workers had contracted Ebola and 43 had died.
Health workers and frontline staff have also faced attacks from people frightened and angered by the outbreak, he said. Ambulances have been burned and stoned, while healthcare facilities have been attacked.
“Fear translates into angry young men who start throwing stones at their object of fear, the ambulance,” Harneis said.
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