WHO Reports Rapidly Spreading Ebola Outbreak in Congo with Deaths Nearing 2,000
The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported that the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is the fastest spreading on record. The outbreak, which began in February, has resulted in over 2,000 deaths and 4,381 confirmed cases. The Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, identified through genomic sequencing, has been circulating since mid-February, although it was not detected until May. Initial misdiagnoses as malaria or typhoid fever contributed to the delay in identifying the outbreak. The WHO has declared the outbreak the second-largest in history, following the 2014-2016 West Africa outbreak. Efforts to control the outbreak have been hampered by worker strikes, limited contact tracing, and a lack of targeted vaccines or treatments. 
