DR Congo Ebola Toll Passes 2,000 in Record Outbreak
The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has killed more than 2,000 people and is now described by health officials as the fastest-spreading on record, with cases reported above 4,000. Vaccination campaigns are under way, but the virus has outpaced containment efforts. The scale has raised fears of cross-border spread in central Africa.
Ebola outbreaks in the region have been fought back before, but the speed of this one has alarmed health authorities, who say it is spreading faster than any previously recorded, straining a health system already stretched by conflict and displacement. The existence of effective vaccines offers a tool absent from earlier epidemics, yet reaching remote and insecure areas to deploy them is a formidable challenge. The death toll, passing two thousand, makes this one of the deadliest Ebola events in history. International agencies are scaling up support, wary of the virus reaching neighbouring countries or major cities. The figures are still being verified and may change. Watch whether the vaccination drive can finally slow the spread.