Ebola Outbreak in DRC: Health Minister Flags Alarming 80% Fatality Rate as Deaths Reach 80

The Democratic Republic of Congo's health minister has warned that the Ebola outbreak in the country's northwest has a "very high" lethality rate, with 80 deaths recorded so far. The strain, identified as Bundibugyo, has prompted concern from the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), which fears the virus could spread rapidly due to significant population movement in the region. The minister stressed that the fatality rate among confirmed cases is approaching 80%, underscoring the severity of the outbreak. Health authorities are ramping up response efforts, including vaccination campaigns and surveillance, to contain the spread. The Bundibugyo strain, first identified in Uganda in 2007, is less common but highly lethal, with previous outbreaks showing case fatality rates ranging from 25% to over 80%.