Ebola cases in DRC hit 5,515 as Pope Leo urges global action to save lives
Summary
The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has reached 5,515 confirmed cases and caused 2,642 deaths. Pope Leo has called on the global community to take action to help stop the spread and save lives.Key Facts
- The outbreak began in mid-May and is the 17th Ebola epidemic in the DRC.
- It is the deadliest Ebola outbreak in the country’s history and may surpass the 2014–2016 West Africa epidemic.
- The death rate among infected people has risen from about 20% in June to nearly 48% now.
- Armed conflict and attacks on medical workers have made controlling the outbreak harder.
- About 160 health workers have been infected, with 45 deaths among them.
- There is no approved vaccine for the Bundibugyo strain causing this outbreak, but 16,250 doses of the Ervebo vaccine arrived recently; this vaccine is usually used for another Ebola strain.
- The World Health Organization says the outbreak response needs to increase two to three times to stop the epidemic.
- Some areas in the DRC and Uganda have interrupted virus transmission through fast detection and community cooperation.
- Pope Leo urged international support and local community involvement to prevent further deaths.
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