The Democratic Republic of Congo has reported that confirmed Ebola deaths have reached 2,011, marking a grim milestone in what health officials describe as the fastest-spreading outbreak on record. As of Tuesday, a total of 4,381 cases have been confirmed across five provinces.
While the outbreak was officially declared on May 15, the World Health Organization says the disease actually started spreading in February. According to the organization, earlier cases were wrongly attributed to malaria and typhoid.
The outbreak has primarily hit the conflict-plagued eastern and northeastern regions of the DRC. Health authorities are struggling to deliver help to remote localities because of bad roads, rebel conflict, and work stoppages over payment issues. Earlier data showed confirmed cases at 4,209 with 1,916 deaths, pushing the crude case-fatality ratio to 45.5%.