Congo Ebola outbreak accelerating, killing one person every 30 minutes

Published Aug 15, 05:31 AM UTC

The Democratic Republic of Congo is facing a rapidly escalating Ebola outbreak that is outpacing the efforts of exhausted health workers. Contact tracing, a critical tool for containing the virus, is falling behind as new cases emerge faster than they can be tracked. The United Nations reports that the outbreak is killing one person every 30 minutes, and data indicates it is on track to become the worst in history. The outbreak is driven by a new animal transmission, complicating containment. Health workers are overwhelmed, and the rising case numbers are setting record paces, raising fears of a larger humanitarian crisis.