The Ebola outbreak in Congo has claimed more than 2,000 lives, making it the fastest-growing outbreak on record. According to the latest data, confirmed cases have reached 4,381, with 2,011 deaths. Currently, 704 patients are receiving treatment in hospitals, as reported by infohub.kz.
This grim milestone was reached nearly three months after the outbreak was officially declared on May 15. While it took about nine weeks to record the first 1,000 deaths, the next 1,000 were recorded in just three weeks, underscoring complaints from responders that help is not reaching remote areas quickly enough.
This Ebola outbreak differs from previous ones because it is caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus, for which there are no approved vaccines or treatments. According to the World Health Organization, the outbreak began in February, but it was not detected until much later in one of Congo's most remote and vulnerable regions.
The first Ebola virus was identified in 1976 near the Ebola River in what is now Congo. The current outbreak is the 17th and largest that the Central African nation has faced.