CONGO’S fast-moving Ebola outbreak has now killed over 2,300 people and become the deadliest outbreak of the disease on record in the Central African nation.

The outbreak unfolding in one of Congo’s most vulnerable regions is the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak ever, with 4,945 cases including 2,325 deaths, according to government data released overnight into Monday.

It’s Congo’s 17th outbreak, with a toll that has eclipsed that of the country’s 2018-2020 outbreak when 2,299 deaths out of 3,481 cases were recorded.

The latest data shows 101 new cases and 33 deaths reported in the previous 24 hours. Over 1,000 people have recovered, while 730 remain in hospitals or in isolation.

The World Health Organisation has said it is on track to surpass the 2014-16 Ebola outbreak in West Africa, the deadliest on record with more than 11,000 deaths.

Trish Newport, emergency co-ordinator with Doctors Without Borders, said the limited community engagement in the outbreak remains a key challenge.

She said: “The community needs to be aware about the outbreak, they need to be involved in the response, and they need to know what the signs and symptoms are and what to do if they get sick.”

Starting from the first confirmed case, the outbreak reached the 2,000 deaths mark almost three times faster than in the 2014-16 outbreak.

Some families have lost up to 15 of their relatives in the epicentre, the Ituri province, said Ms Newport.

“We rapidly need to scale up to be able to prevent more deaths from happening, more families and communities from being impacted,” she added.

There are no approved vaccines or treatments for the rare Bundibugyo virus responsible for the current outbreak across six provinces in Congo’s east.