In the ongoing major Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the number of confirmed cases has exceeded 4,000, raising concerns that the virus may have mutated. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has announced the end of phased containment measures and will elevate the response plan to the highest level.
“Elchi” reports that although the epidemic caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus was first reported on May 15, it is believed that the disease has been spreading since January. According to data from the DRC National Institute of Public Health, 3,973 infections and 1,801 deaths were recorded as of August 4. Africa CDC Director-General Dr. Jean Kaseya confirmed at a press conference that the number of cases has exceeded 4,000.
This epidemic is the second largest in history. Current data shows that the number of infections is eight times higher and the number of deaths is six times higher than the number of cases at the 11th week of the 2014-2016 epidemic in West Africa, which infected more than 28,000 people and caused the deaths of more than 11,000.
Kaseya stated that he met with World Health Organization Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and that they plan to conduct research to investigate whether the virus has mutated. Kaseya assessed that “the severity of the Bundibugyo epidemic is unprecedentedly high.”
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