DR Congo Ebola outbreak set to become deadliest on record, WHO warns

Outbreak to eclipse West Africa’s Ebola outbreak of 2014 to 2016 if it continues at current pace, WHO chief says. The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) is spreading faster than health authorities can contain it and is on track to become the deadliest on record, according to the World Health Organization. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday that at its current pace, the outbreak is on track to eclipse the West African Ebola outbreak of 2014 to 2016, a crisis that killed more than 11,000 people and accelerated the push to develop a vaccine. The outbreak in eastern DR Congo has killed more than 2,000 people out of more than 4,300 recorded cases, making it the fastest-moving Ebola outbreak on record. It was formally declared on May 15, though genetic sequencing later revealed the virus had actually begun circulating in February .

Missing media or need the complete publisher report? Open Al Jazeera ↗