Ebola Outbreak Kills 1,500 in Record Time; No Vaccine Available for Deadly Strain

BUNIA, Congo (AP) — The deadliest and fastest-growing Ebola outbreak in history has killed more than 1,500 people in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, officials said Thursday, as health workers struggle to contain a virus strain that has no approved vaccine or treatment [207283].

As of Tuesday, Congo’s government reported 3,442 cases and 1,521 deaths since the outbreak was declared on May 15 [207283]. The death toll jumped 50% in about a week, showing that the disease is spreading faster than health workers can stop it [207283].

Unlike most previous Ebola outbreaks, this one is caused by the Bundibugyo virus. There are no approved vaccines or treatments for this strain [207283]. The outbreak has killed more people at a faster rate than any other, including the 2014-2016 epidemic that killed over 11,000 people. That earlier outbreak took about eight months to reach 1,000 deaths [207283].

The international medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) warned that the current response is “not enough” to stop the outbreak, cautioning that without a significant increase in resources, the outbreak will follow a “dangerous trajectory” [203719].

Health workers are racing to contain the spread, but the crisis is deepening as containment measures disrupt farming, trade, and daily life. The head of a United Nations agency warned that the outbreak is worsening food insecurity in eastern Congo, as restrictions cut off access to markets and food supplies for many families [207230].

The number of confirmed cases has now surpassed 3,200, according to the United Nations, straining response efforts [205972]. The death toll reached 1,405 as researchers from Oxford University began a new vaccine trial in the country [205549].

On Friday, a volunteer received the first dose of a new Ebola vaccine targeting the Bundibugyo strain, which has killed more than 50 people in the current outbreak. The shot was developed in record time—just a few months—and marks a major step against the deadly outbreak [207237].

Health workers on the ground are also tracking the dead to stop the virus. Epidemiologists are visiting cemeteries and local health centers to trace contacts of victims, ensuring that anyone who touched a body before burial is placed in quarantine for 21 days [206130].

The outbreak, declared on May 15 in eastern DRC, has already killed 1,405 people, with 3,200 confirmed cases [206130]. MSF runs a 105-bed Ebola treatment center in Mongbwalu, with a second center set to open in the coming weeks [206130].

Ebola is rare but highly contagious. People catch it through contact with bodily fluids such as vomit, blood, or semen. The disease is severe and often fatal [207283].