WHO Warns Congo Ebola Outbreak Becoming Deadliest Ever
The Democratic Republic of Congo's Ebola outbreak is on pace to become the deadliest in history, with nearly 4,500 confirmed cases and over 2,000 deaths since May, according to WHO warnings on August 13.
The World Health Organization warned on August 13 that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is on track to become the deadliest in history. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters that at its current pace, the 2026 outbreak would surpass the 2014-2016 epidemic, which killed at least 11,000 people. Since the outbreak was officially declared on May 15, confirmed cases have reached at least 4,470, with 2,063 deaths. The WHO hopes to bring the spread under control within three months but cautioned that this goal means controlling transmission rather than ending the outbreak entirely. Mohamed Jannah, WHO Regional Director for Africa, said: "We are chasing the virus but the virus is ahead of us." Research revealed that the Bundibugyo virus strain began circulating in February and was initially misdiagnosed as malaria or typhoid fever. The current outbreak has a fatality rate of up to 46.2 percent.
