WHO Reports Rapid Spread of New Ebola Strain in Congo, Uganda

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday published an overview of new data documenting the rapid spread of the current Ebola outbreak in Congo.

Democratic Republic of Congo Ministry of Health data documenting cases traced between May 15 and July 19 shows that 2,473 people in Congo and neighboring Uganda have been infected by the latest Bundibugyo strain of the virus, with 999 documented deaths in Congo, and two in Uganda.

Speaking at a health summit in Ghana on Wednesday, Dr. Jean Kaseya, director-general of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, said 1,031 deaths have been confirmed.

"These are people dying. They are dying because we don't have vaccines, we don't have medicine, we don't have funding," he added.

The spread — the fastest ever recorded for Ebola — has continued unabated as no vaccines or treatments exist for this new strain of the virus.

Until now, the deadliest outbreak — which raged from 2013 to 2016 and infected 28,000 people, 11,000 of whom died — took some eight months to reach the grim 1,000 death mark.

Health officials in Congo say some 80% of new cases have emerged through unknown transmission chains, suggesting it is spreading far faster than authorities can track.

Overall, 82% of contacts linked to confirmed cases are being traced by authorities. This is well below the 90%-95% rate WHO officials say is needed to contain the virus.

The highly-contagious Ebola virus is spread via bodily fluids, such as blood, semen and vomit, and is often fatal.

To date, infections in the central African nation of 116 million have been recorded in five of Congo's 26 provinces. The epicenter of the current outbreak lies in Ituri province, which borders Uganda and South Sudan.

The severity of the situation is being compounded by attacks on health workers as well as the generally poor working conditions that these individuals face.

Many healthcare workers have been forced to flee affected areas in fear for their own safety, and others say they have not been paid in months.

Kaseya told attendees at the Africa Health Summit that international efforts to stop the spread of the virus must be intensified.

"If we don't stop this outbreak, it could become one of the worst Ebola outbreaks the world has ever documented," he said.