Congo Ebola outbreak becomes second-worst in history

Geneva (dpa), Nov 30, 2018 - An outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo has become the second-worst in history, the International Rescue Committee said Thursday.   

“As of today, the outbreak has seen 426 cases of infection, 245 deaths, with a case fatality rate of 57 per cent,” the US humanitarian organization said in a statement.   

The IRC’s toll would surpass the 2000-2001 outbreak in Uganda, which killed 224 of the 425 people it infected, making it the second-worst after the virus killed over 11,000 people in West Africa between 2014 and 2016.    According to figures from the Congolese Ministry of Health, 47 of the 426 cases are “probable” but not confirmed, while an additional 75 cases are “suspected.”