WHO: Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is the largest in history, 1,587 people died

ILLUSTRATION PHOTO/DOK © UNICEF/John James

JAKARTA - The World Health Organization (WHO) stated that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is now the largest in the country's history. The spread of the disease caused by the Bundibugyo virus (Bundibugyo Virus Disease/BVD) continues to increase with an alarming spike in cases and death rates.

In its official statement on Saturday, the WHO revealed that the outbreak still showed continuous and widespread transmission to various regions, thus worsening the public health emergency situation.

"The outbreak of disease due to the Bundibugyo virus (BVD) in the Democratic Republic of Congo continues to increase, with continued transmission and an increasing number of cases and deaths," the WHO said.

The WHO emphasized that this outbreak has become the largest Ebola outbreak ever recorded in the Democratic Republic of Congo, both in terms of the number of cases and the scope of its spread.

3,605 Cases and 1,587 Deaths

Based on WHO data as of July 30, there were 3,605 confirmed cases, with 1,587 deaths. The figure shows a death rate (case fatality rate) of around 44 percent.

The WHO assessed that the increasing number of cases, the widespread geographical spread, and the high death rate were indicators that the epidemic situation was developing very quickly.

"The increasing number of cases that continue to occur, the widespread geographical spread, and the high death rate indicate the rapid development of this public health emergency," the WHO wrote.

In the past week alone, there were 567 new cases and 296 deaths, which shows that the rate of transmission of the virus is still very high.

Spread to Five Provinces

The WHO reported that the outbreak, which was initially centered in Ituri Province, has now spread to four other provinces, namely North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uele, and Tshopo.

Overall, as many as 49 health zones in the Democratic Republic of Congo have been affected by the outbreak.

Seeing the development of the situation, WHO assessed that a significant increase in treatment efforts was needed, ranging from strengthening health services, tracking contacts, to emergency response in the affected areas to suppress the spread of the virus.

WHO Declares International Health Emergency

Previously, on May 17, the WHO declared the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda as a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC).

The WHO also warned that the risk of spreading the virus to other countries in the region was still at a high level, so cross-country coordination was needed to strengthen surveillance, early detection, and response to potential transmission.