Ebola in Congo: 60 Zones, 2,786 Dead, Vaccination Begins

The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo spread on Friday to two more health zones, Biena and Mangurejipa in North Kivu province, bringing the total number of affected zones to 60. The epicenter is thousands of kilometers from Belgrade, but the World Health Organization (WHO) already declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern on May 17, a designation that carries recommendations followed by all member states, including Serbia, on border surveillance and travel advisories.

According to data released Friday by the Ministry of Health of the Democratic Republic of Congo, 5,794 cases and 2,786 deaths have now been officially confirmed. That makes this outbreak deadlier than any other in the country’s history, including the 2018 to 2020 epidemic that killed 2,299 people. The overall fatality rate stands at 48 percent, but it runs much higher in some hotspots: the Beni zone in North Kivu has confirmed 122 cases and 87 deaths, a fatality rate of 69 percent.

The WHO’s latest report, dated August 14, shows somewhat lower figures, since the international body’s data is not updated on the same day as the Congolese government’s. That report puts Ituri province at 85 percent of all cases and 79 percent of all deaths recorded nationwide. The gap between the two data sets shows how fast the outbreak is moving relative to the pace at which it can be reported.