Ebola outbreak in DR Congo kills 2,325, deadliest in country's history

The ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has become the deadliest in the country's history with over 2,300 deaths reported, according to the latest official figures.

The DRC has recorded 4,945 confirmed cases, including 2,325 deaths, since the current outbreak began, putting the case fatality rate at 47.0%, according to a situation report released on Sunday by the country's health authorities.

The latest death toll surpassed that of the 2018-2020 Ebola outbreak in eastern DRC, making the current epidemic the deadliest Ebola outbreak ever recorded in the country.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 3,481 cases, including 2,299 deaths, were recorded during the 2018-2020 Ebola outbreak in eastern DRC.

The current outbreak, the DRC's 17th since the virus was first identified in the country in 1976, was officially declared on May 15 and caused by the Bundibugyo species of Ebola virus.

The outbreak has affected 55 health zones across six provinces – Ituri, North Kivu, Haut-Uele, Tshopo, South Kivu and Bas-Uele.

The WHO has previously warned that the current Ebola outbreak in the DRC could be the worst on record.

"It's already the second-biggest Ebola epidemic on record, and it's moving faster than any previous Ebola outbreak.

At its current pace, it's on track to eclipse the West African Ebola outbreak of 2014 to 2016," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a press briefing in Geneva last Wednesday.

More than 28,600 people were infected during the 2014-2016 West Africa epidemic, the largest Ebola outbreak ever recorded.