DRC Ebola Outbreak Reaches Deadliest Toll in Nation’s History

An Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has killed 2,325 people and confirmed 4,945 cases, making it the deadliest in the country’s history. The Bundibugyo-strain outbreak, declared May 15, has progressed amid weak health infrastructure, community resistance, and instability, with the case-fatality ratio rising to about 46%, suggesting late detection and limited access to care rather than increased virulence. Experimental vaccines and therapies are being evaluated, and the outbreak had a brief spillover into Uganda earlier this year with limited deaths. Globally, only West Africa’s 2014-2016 outbreak had more cases and deaths.