Ebola Outbreak Set To Become The 2nd-Largest On Record

By Mariah Taylor

The Democratic Republic of Congo Ebola outbreak is set to become the second-largest on record within days.

Here is what to know.

1. In the past week, health officials reported 856 new confirmed infections, and total cases have climbed to 3,200. Deaths have nearly doubled in two weeks now at 1,405 confirmed deaths as of July 25.

2. The 2018-2020 Congo outbreak is currently considered the world’s second-largest Ebola outbreak. It reached 2,687 confirmed cases a year after it began — the current outbreak surpasses that in less than 10 weeks.

3. The death rate currently sits at around 43.9% — compared to 66% in the 2018-2020 outbreak — and 571 people have recovered from the infection.

4. As of July 3, the most recent stats, 102 healthcare workers had confirmed Ebola cases and 25 died of the infection.

5. On July 25, about 100 health workers went on strike outside a treatment center, saying they had not been paid bonuses and called on Congolese authorities to resolve the backpay issue. This is the third strike reported at a healthcare facility in the last month.

Adelard Lufungula, MD, operations manager for the Ebola response, said that the payment issue is “being resolved,” workers are now paid via digitally instead of cash, and the backlog “should be cleared” in coming days.