DRC Ebola outbreak records 3,532 cases, 1,556 deaths

An Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has become the world's second-largest and fastest-growing on record, with officials urgently calling for greater international focus as containment efforts struggle to keep pace. Government data released on July 31 confirmed 3,532 cases and 1,556 deaths, surpassing the total case count of the country's 2018-2020 epidemic. Only the 2014-2016 West Africa outbreak, which recorded over 28,000 cases, was larger.

The outbreak, officially declared on May 15, is driven by the rare Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, for which there are no approved vaccines or treatments. New research published in the journal Science on July 31 indicates the virus had been circulating for months prior to the official announcement, with a report concluding it began at least in January on the outskirts of the mining town of Mongbwalu in eastern Ituri province. Researchers identified more than 500 suspected cases between mid-January and the May declaration.

Health officials describe an epidemic of unprecedented speed and lethality. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention reported the disease has killed around five times more people in its...