The Ebola epidemic sweeping through the Democratic Republic of Congo has claimed more lives than any previous outbreak in the nation's history, public health authorities have confirmed.
Since the outbreak was officially declared on May 15, the virus has killed 2,325 people, exceeding the toll from the 2018 to 2020 crisis that previously held the grim record.
Figures released on Sunday by DR Congo's Institute of Public Health put the total number of confirmed infections at 4,945. Of those, 101 were recorded in the preceding 24-hour period alone.
The current epidemic marks the 17th time Ebola has emerged in the country since the virus was first identified half a century ago.
It is caused by the Bundibugyo species, an unusually rare strain with only two previously documented outbreaks.
The rate at which the disease has torn through the population has been without precedent. The World Health Organization has characterised the pace of transmission as "exceptional," with the virus now present in six of the country's 26 provinces.
UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher warned last week that "the epidemic is killing someone every 30 minutes," describing it as the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak ever recorded.
By comparison, the devastating 2014 to 2016 West African epidemic - the worst the world has seen - took nearly five months to reach 1,000 deaths, according to Reuters. The current crisis surpassed 2,000 fatalities in just three months.
Researchers have cautioned, however, that the virus may have been circulating undetected since as early as February, potentially predating the official declaration by several months.
Beyond DR Congo's borders, the spread has so far remained relatively contained. As of August 12, neighbouring Uganda had confirmed 20 cases, while Germany treated two patients and France reported a single infection.
Within the country, however, controlling the outbreak has proved enormously difficult. Prolonged conflict and a highly mobile population have compounded efforts to contain the disease.
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Ebola spreads through direct contact with contaminated bodily fluids, including blood and vomit. Its early symptoms — fever, headache and fatigue — closely resemble those of malaria or influenza, making swift identification challenging. These can appear anywhere between two and 21 days after exposure.
As the illness advances, patients may suffer vomiting and diarrhoea, which can ultimately lead to organ failure.
No approved vaccine currently exists for the Bundibugyo species responsible for this outbreak, though multiple candidates are being developed.
Britain's MHRA has authorised the first human trials of a Bundibugyo vaccine, being produced by University of Oxford researchers.
The jab employs the same platform technology that underpinned the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine.
Three additional groups are separately working on their own Bundibugyo vaccine candidates.
Alongside vaccination efforts, the WHO is funding a clinical trial within DR Congo examining whether two existing antiviral treatments could boost survival rates among those already infected.
The WHO has expressed hope that transmission can be brought under control within three months, though it stressed this would not mean the outbreak was over entirely.
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