Ebola outbreak in DRC is growing exponentially, UN warns

The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is "growing exponentially" and risks spilling over into neighboring countries unless containment efforts are stepped up, the UN's senior Ebola coordinator said Friday.

The outbreak is already the deadliest in the country's history, with more than 2,500 deaths from over 5,000 infections.

"The epidemic is spreading widely. It's now covering an area that is bigger than France," UN senior Ebola coordinator Julien Harneis told journalists, adding that half of the 2,500 deaths had been reported in the last 20 days alone.

"It is growing faster and wider than the Ebola response."

He stressed that aid funding and the delivery of resources to remote areas needed to be urgently ramped up to slow and eventually stop the virus's transmission.

"If we do not ... then this epidemic will become more deadly. It will spread wider and it risks to spread into neighboring countries," Harneis added.

Fastest-spreading Ebola outbreak in history

The current epidemic is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a rare type of Ebola that has no approved vaccine or treatment.

The first infections were detected earlier this year in the DRC's northeastern Ituri province, an area where armed groups operate and health infrastructure is poor. The virus has since spread to five other provinces as well as to neighboring Uganda.

Congolese authorities officially declared an Ebola outbreak on May 15, but experts believe the virus may have already been circulating for some time before that point.

Officials say it is the fastest-spreading Ebola outbreak on record and is expanding about three times faster than the 2014-2016 outbreak in West Africa — the world's deadliest on record— which killed around 11,000 people.

Ebola is spread between people by direct contact with bodily fluids. It can cause fever, fatigue, and muscle pain, followed by vomiting and diarrhea. Some patients also develop internal or external bleeding.

DRC to receive 70,000 doses of Ervebo Ebola vaccine

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization has announced it will immediately release 70,000 doses of Merck's Ervebo Ebola vaccine to the DRC in a bid to help contain the epidemic.

The Ervebo shot has only been approved for use against the more common Zaire strain of Ebola, although the WHO said in a statement that early data from animal trials showed it may also give some protection against Bundibugyo — the strain behind the current epidemic.

"The allocation includes 20,000 doses for a Phase 3 clinical trial to understand the impact of the vaccine on the Bundibugyo virus, and 50,000 doses for frontline and health workers," the UN health agency said.