The death toll from an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has exceeded 2,000, according to official government data released Tuesday. Health officials have confirmed a total of 4,381 cases of the virus across five provinces since the outbreak was declared less than three months ago.
The data indicates a recent increase in fatalities, with at least 1,000 of the 2,011 recorded deaths occurring in the last three weeks. This outbreak is now the fastest-growing on record in the DRC and is second in scale only to the 2014-2016 West Africa outbreak, during which the World Health Organization (WHO) reported 11,310 deaths.
Response efforts have been complicated by several factors, according to reports from health organizations. These include strikes by health workers who cited unpaid wages, the spread of misinformation in affected communities, and certain cultural burial practices.
The outbreak involves the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, for which there is currently no approved treatment or vaccine. The WHO announced last week that vaccine trials are in progress, but the results are not expected for several months.
On Monday, the WHO reported that its investigations found the virus likely began circulating in the DRC in February, three months before the outbreak was officially declared in the country and neighboring Uganda on May 15.
In a separate development, the Israeli Ministry of Health announced Tuesday it was investigating a potential case of Ebola. In a series of statements, the ministry confirmed that an Israeli citizen who had recently returned from the DRC developed a fever. The individual has been placed in isolation while tests are conducted, with results expected within 24 hours.
