DR Congo’s Ebola outbreak tops 4,000 cases as response falls behind
Why it matters: The outbreak has killed 1,850 people and is spreading faster than past Congo epidemics, with most cases in Ituri.
Democratic Republic of Congo’s Ebola outbreak has passed 4,000 confirmed cases, making it the country’s largest on record and the world’s second-largest Ebola epidemic. Government data put the total at 4,053 infections and 1,850 deaths after the outbreak was declared on May 15. The World Health Organization has warned the virus is still expanding faster than response teams can contain it, citing shortages of money, treatment capacity, field investigators and safe-burial workers. Health officials say the Bundibugyo strain spread undetected for months before the outbreak was identified, while conflict, overwhelmed surveillance and the lack of proven vaccines or treatments for that species have helped infections race ahead, especially in Ituri province.