Congo’s Ebola outbreak records one of its highest weekly death tolls yet

Congo’s Ebola outbreak records one of its highest weekly death tolls yet 1 of 2 | People dressed in protective gear unload a coffin containing the remains of six-year-old Baudjo Baraka Jules, who died of Ebola, for a burial service in Bunia, Ituri province, eastern Congo, Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Dieudonne Dirole) 2 of 2 | Residents and frontline workers embark on Ebola outbreak awareness campaign in Beni, North Kivu province, eastern Congo, Friday, Aug. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Sebastien Kitsa Musayi) 1 of 2 | People dressed in protective gear unload a coffin containing the remains of six-year-old Baudjo Baraka Jules, who died of Ebola, for a burial service in Bunia, Ituri province, eastern Congo, Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Dieudonne Dirole) 1 of 2 People dressed in protective gear unload a coffin containing the remains of six-year-old Baudjo Baraka Jules, who died of Ebola, for a burial service in Bunia, Ituri province, eastern Congo, Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Dieudonne Dirole) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 2 of 2 | Residents and frontline workers embark on Ebola outbreak awareness campaign in Beni, North Kivu province, eastern Congo, Friday, Aug. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Sebastien Kitsa Musayi) 2 of 2 Residents and frontline workers embark on Ebola outbreak awareness campaign in Beni, North Kivu province, eastern Congo, Friday, Aug. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Sebastien Kitsa Musayi) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Bunia, Congo (AP) — More than 300 people died of Ebola in eastern Congo in the past week, one of the highest weekly tolls yet, government data showed Monday, as health workers struggle to catch up with an outbreak that is spreading at unprecedented speed.Ministry of Health data showed that as of Saturday, the outbreak had recorded 5,514 cases and 2,642 deaths, including 317 deaths reported in the previous seven days. But Congolese experts have said the outbreak that started weeks before it was confirmed could be three times the known size.This is the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak in history, with many people dying outside treatment centers. It has recorded seven times more deaths at this stage than the Ebola-outbreak" class="entity-link entity-event" data-entity-id="192257" data-entity-type="event">2014-2016 West Africa Ebola outbreak that is the deadliest in history with over 11,000 in all.Most new cases in Ituri province, the current epicenter, still come from outside monitored contacts.Nearly half of people infected have died — 47.9% — but the government data shows much higher rates in hard-to-reach areas such as North Kivu province, which has a fatality rate of 68.6%. Frontline workers to receive vaccine used in past outbreaksA key challenge has been the lack of approved vaccines or treatments for the rare Bundibugyo virus responsible for the outbreak.On Friday, Congo received more than 16,000 doses of the Ervebo vaccine that was effective in past Ebola outbreaks caused by a different, more common type. The World Health Organization says it also will be used in clinical trials for a Bundibugyo virus vaccine. 1 MIN READ 2 MIN READ 5 MIN READ WHO says it’s not known whether Ervebo can protect against the Bundibugyo virus, although early laboratory and animal data suggest it may offer some protection.Officials have not said when the vaccine will be rolled out to frontline workers. In Ituri, locals expressed optimism that it will help slow the outbreak. “I am very pleased that these vaccines have finally arrived,” said Héritier Ramazani, a resident. “We are fed up with recording new cases of Ebola every day.”The outbreak is unfolding in some of the most challenging conditions imaginable, with rebel threats and intense population movements. Medical teams in Ituri and other affected provinces also face work stoppages by responders who haven’t been paid, anger from long-traumatized communities, bad roads and misinformation claiming that Ebola isn’t real.Experts believe the virus was spreading in the mining town of Mongbwalu as early as February, months before authorities declared the outbreak on May 15.