UN warns Ebola claiming one life every 30 minutes in DRC

Geneva [Switzerland], August 16: The United Nations and the World Health Organisation (WHO) have issued a urgent warning over the accelerating Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where rising infections and deaths have prompted calls for an intensified international response.
Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, stated that the virus is killing one person every 30 minutes. Describing the outbreak as the fastest-spreading on record, Fletcher urged the international community to redouble efforts before transmission widens further.
According to WHO, the outbreak-caused by the Bundibugyo ebolavirus strain-has become the largest and fastest-expanding in the DRC's history. Initially confined to the Mongbwalu health zone in Ituri province, the virus has now spread across 54 health zones in six provinces.
Latest data released on Saturday by the DRC Ministry of Communication and Media indicates the death toll has risen to 2,214, with total confirmed cases reaching 4,727, representing a case fatality rate of approximately 46.8 percent
Source: Emirates News Agency