The World Health Organization says the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has become the largest in the country's history, with more than 3,600 confirmed infections and nearly 1,600 deaths since it was declared in May.
In an update released Saturday, the WHO said the outbreak had recorded 3,605 confirmed cases and 1,587 deaths as of July 30, giving it a fatality rate of about 44%.
The outbreak has now surpassed the country's 2018–2020 Ebola epidemic, which recorded nearly 3,500 cases.
The agency warned that the outbreak is accelerating, describing it as "intensifying" with sustained transmission and a sharp rise in new infections and deaths.
According to the WHO, the past week recorded the highest weekly figures since the outbreak began, with 567 new cases and 296 deaths, highlighting what it described as the "exceptional pace of transmission."
The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, for which there is currently no approved vaccine or treatment, although vaccine candidates are under development in the United Kingdom and Singapore.
The epicentre remains Ituri Province in northeastern DR Congo, but the virus has spread to North Kivu and South Kivu provinces, where ongoing insecurity and the presence of armed groups have complicated response efforts.
The WHO said conflict, population displacement and cross-border movements with neighbouring Uganda and South Sudan continue to hamper containment measures and increase the risk of the disease spreading further across the region.
Ebola spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person and has claimed about 15,000 lives across Africa over the past five decades.
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