Ebola outbreak in Congo is second largest in history, WHO confirms

According to World Health Organization's (WHO) emergencies chief, Dr. Peter Salama, Congo's deadly Ebola outbreak is now the second largest in history, behind the devastating West Africa outbreak that killed thousands a few years ago.

Dr. Peter Salama called it a 'sad toll' as Congo's health ministry announced the number of cases has reached 426. That includes 379 confirmed cases and 47 probable ones. So far this outbreak declared on August 1, has 198 confirmed deaths, with another 47 probable ones, Congo's health ministry said.

The number of Ebola cases announced on November 29 surpassed those of the 2000 Ebola outbreak in Uganda, making it second only to the 2014-2016 outbreak in multiple West African nations that killed 11,325 people, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"This tragic milestone clearly demonstrates the complexity and severity of the outbreak," Michelle Gayer, senior director of emergency health at the International Rescue Committee said.

Over 37,000 people have already received Ebola vaccinations and Congo has begun the first-ever trial to test the effectiveness and safety of four experimental Ebola drugs.

Ebola virus disease is endemic to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It causes an often-fatal type of haemorrhagic fever. The name Ebola virus is derived from the Ebola River. This river was at first thought to be in close proximity to the area in the Democratic Republic of Congo. where the 1976 Zaire Ebola virus outbreak occurred.

With inputs from agencies