Authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) announced on Sunday that more than 3,000 Ebola infections and 1,354 deaths have been recorded since the latest outbreak began.
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The virus is spreading in the country's conflict-ridden eastern region, which has endured decades of armed violence. Ebola is transmitted through close contact with infected individuals or their bodily fluids and causes severe hemorrhagic fever.
Over the past 50 years, the disease has claimed more than 15,000 lives across Africa.
The deadliest Ebola outbreak in the DRC occurred between 2018 and 2020, when nearly 2,300 people died out of approximately 3,500 confirmed cases.
The country's 17th Ebola outbreak was officially declared on May 15. The current outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain, for which there is currently no approved vaccine or treatment.
The number of confirmed cases surpassed 2,000 on July 15, and official figures released on Sunday showed that infections had risen to 3,075 cases, including 1,354 fatalities, across five provinces.
Congolese authorities said the updated figures reflect "more accurate monitoring of cases and deaths," attributing the increase in reported numbers to improvements in case detection and laboratory confirmation.
The outbreak is centered in Ituri Province, in northeastern DRC near the borders with South Sudan and Uganda, where about 90% of all cases have been recorded, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
In recent days, several hospitals in the affected region have experienced strikes by healthcare workers demanding unpaid wages.
Meanwhile, international health experts and research organizations are working to develop vaccines and treatments targeting the Bundibugyo strain.
According to the University of Oxford, the first volunteer received an experimental vaccine against the strain on Friday.
Research is also accelerating on several additional experimental vaccines, which are expected to enter clinical trials, while work continues on the development of two potential treatments for the disease.
