Ebola cases in DRC rise to 5,515 as fatality rate nears 48%

The Democratic Republic of Congo’s latest Ebola outbreak has seen the case‑fatality rate rise to almost 48 percent, according to health officials, indicating that roughly one in two people infected with the virus are dying. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that the surge follows a recent increase in confirmed cases, bringing the total number of infections to over 150 since the outbreak was declared earlier this year. The heightened mortality rate contrasts with earlier phases of the epidemic, when the fatality proportion hovered around 30‑35 percent, prompting concerns about the virus’s virulence and the effectiveness of current treatment protocols.

In response, the Congolese Ministry of Health, supported by international partners, has intensified surveillance, expanded contact‑tracing teams, and accelerated the deployment of experimental therapeutics and the rVSV‑ZEBOV vaccine in affected provinces. Health workers are also receiving additional training and personal protective equipment to curb transmission among frontline staff. Officials emphasized that despite the grim statistics, continued community engagement and rapid case identification remain critical to containing the outbreak and reducing the death toll.