Congos Ebola outbreak has killed nearly 1,000 people

BUNIA, Congo — At least 999 people have died from the Ebola outbreak in Congo, according to official data published overnight into Wednesday, a grim toll in what’s already been declared the fastest Ebola outbreak in history that is further complicated as some health workers have gone on strike.The latest update from Congo’s Ministry of Health shows that as of Monday, 2,473 cases have been recorded in the latest outbreak, and 999 people have died.At least 737 patients are currently in isolation and hospitals, it said.The outbreak declared on May 15 is unlike most previous Ebola outbreaks because the Bundibugyo virus responsible for it has no approved vaccines or treatments.

It has also killed more people at a quicker rate than any outbreak on record, including the 2013-2016 outbreak that is considered the worst on record with over 11,000 deaths out of at least 28,000 cases.That outbreak took about eight months from the first case to reach 1,000 deaths.The World Health Organization has said that the scale of the outbreak ⁠is at least ⁠2-4 times the number of cases being documented, partly because the majority of reported cases are outside of contacts being monitored, and there are still localities in the epicenter that are hard to reach mainly due to rebel conflict.Ebola is rare, but highly contagious and can be contracted via bodily fluids such as vomit, blood or semen.

The disease it causes is severe and often fatal.Officials have also warned that 80% of new cases have emerged through unknown chains of transmission, a sign the outbreak is spreading faster than health officials can track it even as they step up their response in Ituri province, the epicenter of the outbreak, as well as in four other provinces where cases have been recordedCommunity resistance to Ebola teams, particularly those carrying out safe and dignified burials, has also hampered response.Robert Ndjalonga, head of civil protection in Ituri province, said some communities have...