Congo Ebola Deaths Exceed 1,000 in Fastest-Growing Outbreak
The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has surpassed 1,000 deaths, with 2,536 cases reported since May 15, making it the fastest-growing outbreak on record, according to African health officials. The Bundibugyo virus strain responsible has no approved vaccines or treatments. Dr. Jean Kaseya, head of the Africa CDC, stated at a health summit in Ghana that people are dying due to lack of vaccines, medicine, and funding. The current outbreak is spreading faster than health officials can track, compared to the 2013-2016 outbreak which took eight months to reach 1,000 deaths. A Merck Ebola vaccine licensed for the Zaire virus may offer some cross-protection against Bundibugyo, according to a New England Journal of Medicine study, but the WHO has expressed lukewarm support for testing it in Congo. Bundibugyo-specific vaccines remain months away from clinical trials.
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