ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — The Ebola outbreak in Congo has killed over 1,000 people, reaching the grim milestone nearly three times faster than the 2014-2016 Ebola epidemic that is considered the worst on record.Data from Congo’s Ministry of Health shows that as of Tuesday, the current outbreak, declared on May 15, has recorded 2,536 confirmed cases, including 1,033 deaths.During the 2014-2016 outbreak, which recorded more than 28,000 cases, including over 11,000 deaths, it took eight months to reach 1,000 deaths from the first recorded case. This year’s outbreak has reached that toll in just over two months, making it the fastest outbreak of the disease ever.The ongoing outbreak has also recorded 2,500 cases almost three times quicker than that of 2014-2016.
Different viruses are behind the two outbreaksAccording to the World Health Organization, Ebola is caused by a group of viruses, of which three are known to cause large outbreaks: Ebola virus, Sudan virus and Bundibugyo virus.This year’s outbreak is caused by Bundibugyo virus, a rare variant which has no approved vaccines or treatments.Meanwhile, the Ebola virus, which is the most common out of the three, induced the 2014-2016 outbreak, considered the deadliest in Congo’s history.
