Congo’s Ebola Death Toll Surpasses 1,700

The death toll from the rapidly spreading Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has exceeded 1,700, according to the country’s latest official figures.

Al Jazeera, citing government data, reported that the outbreak, caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, has infected 3,802 people since it was officially declared on May 15.

A total of 1,707 people have died, while more than 17,000 individuals who were exposed to the virus are currently being monitored by health authorities.

The outbreak is now the second-largest Ebola epidemic on record and is spreading at an unprecedented pace. Unlike other strains of the virus, there is currently no approved vaccine or specific treatment for the Bundibugyo strain.

In response, the World Health Organization (WHO) said that trials of experimental treatments, preventive medicines, and vaccines are being accelerated at an unprecedented speed.

Speaking to reporters in Geneva, Vasi Murthy, Acting Head of WHO’s R&D Blueprint Programme, said years of advance preparedness had enabled researchers to launch clinical trials much more quickly than during previous Ebola outbreaks.

“Compared with previous Ebola outbreaks, we have been able to initiate clinical trials much faster. The pre-clinical data obtained so far are encouraging,” Murthy said.