Congo Ebola outbreak death toll nears 1,000, fastest spread ever recorded

Nearly 1,000 people have now died in an Ebola outbreak sweeping eastern Congo, health officials said Wednesday, marking the deadliest and fastest-moving outbreak of the virus ever documented. Congo's Ministry of Health reported 999 deaths and 2,473 confirmed cases as of Sunday, July 19, in figures released overnight.

Health experts say the speed of this outbreak sets it apart from anything seen before. The previous worst outbreak, which spread through West Africa between 2013 and 2016, killed more than 11,000 people out of 28,000 cases. However, it took roughly eight months to cross the 1,000-death threshold.

The current outbreak has neared that same toll in a much shorter span. Adding to the danger, the strain driving this outbreak known as Bundibugyo virus has no approved vaccine or treatment, unlike some other Ebola strains for which the vaccines exist. The outbreak was first declared on May 15. Ebola spreads through contact with bodily fluids, including blood, vomit and semen. Infections are rare but the disease is severe, often proving fatal once symptoms take hold.