Ebola deaths in DRC surge past 1,300 as virus 'spreading like a wildfire'

Ebola deaths in the Democratic Republic of Congo surged past 1,300 as the outbreak accelerated, according to government figures cited by Al Jazeera. The death toll climbed to above 1,309, an increase of more than 40% in five days, while updated data released Saturday said total confirmed cases, including deaths, reached 2,973 as of Thursday. That represented a 27% rise from the previous Saturday. The article says the epidemic is the fastest-spreading Ebola outbreak ever documented, driven by the Bundibugyo variant, the rarest known to affect humans, which currently has no approved vaccines or treatments. A public health consultant, Abdulsalami Nasidi, said the lack of a proven vaccine leaves the virus “spreading like a wildfire,” amid active hostilities. Meanwhile, the University of Oxford’s Oxford Vaccine Group reported that a volunteer received the first dose of a rapidly developed experimental vaccine on Friday. Past context is provided by the 2013–2016 West Africa outbreak, and the Africa CDC director-general warned that without action it could become the worst documented.