Ebola Outbreak Becomes the Largest Ever Recorded in Congo

As of July 30, Congo had reported 3,605 confirmed cases, including 1,587 deaths, a death rate of 44 percent, WHO said August 1, making it the largest Ebola outbreak ever reported in the country. First confined to the Mongbwalu health zone in Ituri province, it had spread to 49 health zones in five provinces, and the most recent full week brought the highest weekly totals yet, 567 cases and 296 deaths.

WHO declared the outbreak, first confirmed in May, a public health emergency of international concern on May 17. Bundibugyo virus is one of the Ebola viruses; there is no licensed vaccine for it, and it spreads through direct contact with the blood or body fluids of sick people.