Ebola death toll in DR Congo surpasses 500

The DR Congo’s 17th Ebola epidemic is fuelled by the Bundibugyo virus, with no existing vaccine or approved treatment options.The death toll from the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) has risen above 500, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), as health workers threaten strike action over low wages and poor working conditions.The data released on Monday, based on reports from Congolese health authorities, showed that at least 506 deaths and 1,561 confirmed Ebola cases have been recorded in the country, according to a WHO situation report dated July 4. In neighbouring Uganda, the toll remained at two deaths and 20 confirmed cases.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Alarm as Ebola spreads into new areas of DR Congolist 2 of 3Medical teams in Goma face mistrust from relatives of Ebola victimslist 3 of 3DR Congo arrive in the US for the World Cup after Ebola quarantineend of listEbola, which is transmitted through contact with bodily fluids and causes haemorrhagic fever, has killed more than 15,000 people in Africa over the past 50 years. The deadliest outbreak in the DR Congo resulted in nearly 2,300 deaths out of 3,500 recorded cases between 2018 and 2020.The 17th epidemic in the DR Congo, officially declared on May 15, is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, for which there is neither a vaccine nor a treatment.A woman reads a pamphlet as workers from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) raise awareness about Ebola transmission on June 24, 2026, at Alanine market in Goma, the Democratic Republic of the Congo [File: Daniel Buuma/Getty Images]A clinical trial involving two treatments for this rare strain began on Thursday, according to the WHO, which also granted emergency use authorisation for the first molecular diagnostic test for the virus.Officials have yet to identify the outbreak’s patient zero and still need to trace possibly tens of thousands of people who have come in contact with infected individuals.