Ebola outbreak in Congo passes 2,000 cases and 750 deaths | World News

The number of confirmed cases of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has reached 2,011, with 754 deaths, according to government data.

The epidemic in the central African nation is spreading faster than efforts to contain it, global medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) has warned.

With cases tripling in less than five weeks, it is the third-largest and fastest-growing Ebola outbreak on record, according to the charity.

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How bad could the Ebola outbreak get?

Health workers at the Bunia General Hospital in the epicentre of the outbreak have become the latest group to have gone on strike over payment issues.

Health professionals and other frontline workers barricaded the entrance of the hospital, saying they have not been paid despite working under difficult conditions.

The viral disease is often fatal and spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids from infected people or animals.

It causes symptoms including high fever, vomiting and internal and external bleeding.

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‘Situation getting worse’: Locals in Ebola outbreak epicentre

The outbreak, which began on 15 May, is caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus. The lack of approved vaccines or treatments for the virus, unlike the more common Zaire virus, has increased the challenge facing healthcare workers.

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MSF called for an urgent expansion of containment and care measures.

“Every ‌delay costs lives. We are still chasing the outbreak instead of staying ahead of it,” said Trish Newport, MSF’s emergency programme manager.

The charity also warned about the geographic spread of the outbreak, saying communities outside urban areas face inadequate support, with limited access to medical care and an overstretched monitoring system.

Last week the World Health Organisation said the outbreak remains in an expansion phase, driven partly by population movements and delays in treatment.

It comes as a new vaccine to combat the strain spreading across the DRC will soon be tested on adults in the UK.

Scientists at the University of Oxford have been working to develop a jab to protect against the Bundibugyo strain and now plan to assess its safety and immune response in 50 healthy adults aged 18 to 55. Volunteers are being recruited for the trial, and vaccinations will begin in the coming weeks, pending regulatory approval.