In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in Africa, the cumulative number of deaths has surpassed 2,000 in less than three months since the declaration of the Ebola outbreak.

According to the DRC government on the 11th (local time), as of the 9th, the cumulative number of confirmed Ebola cases in the country was tallied at 4,381.

Among them, 2,011 people have died, recording a fatality rate of 45.9%.

The fatality rate of the currently circulating Bundibugyo-type Ebola is known to be between 30% and 50%.

Previously, after the DRC government declared the Ebola outbreak on May 15, the death toll in the country exceeded 1,000 as of the 21st of last month, about two months later.

This means the death toll doubled in just 19 days since then.

The current Ebola epidemic in the DRC is showing the fastest spread in history.

During the 2014–2016 West Africa outbreak, which was the largest-ever Ebola epidemic, there were 28,616 confirmed cases and 11,310 deaths, but it was understood to have taken about five months from the outbreak declaration in Guinea for deaths to reach 1,000 at the time.

Jean Kaseya, Director-General of Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), stated that comparing the number of confirmed cases and deaths during the first 12 weeks since the recent Ebola outbreak declaration, this outbreak has reached 8 times the confirmed cases and 6 times the deaths compared to the West Africa epidemic, according to dpa news agency.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)