Africa CDC says Ebola outbreak is 'fastest-growing ever' after 600 deaths since mid-May

The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is the "fastest-growing" ever, African health authorities have said, with the World Health Organization reporting it has killed 600 people.

Updated numbers issued by the UN health agency showed there have been 1,759 confirmed cases in DR Congo since the outbreak was declared in mid-May, including 600 confirmed deaths.

"This is the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak ever, not only among the previous Bundibugyo outbreaks, but all the different viruses that are causing Ebola," Wessam Mankoula, head of emergency preparedness and response for the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), told reporters on Thursday, local time.

The deadliest Ebola outbreak, which occurred in 2013-16 in West Africa, had 994 cases in the first six weeks, compared with 1,596 in the current outbreak, he said.

"Unfortunately, the virus is still ahead of our response. It's moving faster than deploying the resources to control the situation," Mr Mankoula said.

He added that the number of cases was estimated to double every 28 days and that $US1.4 billion ($2 billion) was needed in total for the disease and humanitarian response.

"We need to surge our response, and surging our response means financial resources, human resources," Mr Mankoula said.

Ebola treatment trial begins in Congo A trial for an experimental Ebola treatment starts in Congo, where the largest-ever Ebola outbreak continues to grow.

"We are urging all partners, donors… to fast-track the disbursement of those resources."

Ebola spreads through close contact and infected bodily fluids. The current outbreak is caused by Bundibugyo, a rare species with no approved vaccine or treatment, and is believed to have been spreading for some time before it was detected.

The WHO's figures for the DRC, which come from the country's health authorities, show that the outbreak there has a case fatality rate of 34 per cent.

A total of 285 patients in the DRC have recovered, while 304 suspected cases of the viral haemorrhagic fever are under investigation.

The outbreak in north-eastern DRC has hit four provinces and is concentrated in Ituri province.

The trial of two potential treatments for Bundibugyo began in the DRC on July 2, and is evaluating the effectiveness of the monoclonal antibody MBP134 and the antiviral drug remdesivir, alone and in combination.

The DRC's 17th Ebola outbreak was declared on May 15 after several deaths in Ituri, a mineral-rich province plagued by armed groups.

"Population movements, persistent insecurity, and the fragility of the health system continue to complicate efforts to bring the outbreak under control," said Anne Ancia, the WHO's representative in the DRC.

She said there were now about 700 beds across 22 treatment centres, and that there were 300 more beds in the pipeline, with centres operating at about 90 per cent capacity.

More than 10,000 contacts of infected people are being monitored, at a follow-up rate of 82 per cent. The WHO believes 95 per cent is needed to get on top of the outbreak.

Laboratory capacity has increased from 30 tests per day in the capital, Kinshasa, to more than 2,000 tests per day in decentralised labs in the affected provinces.

One of the affected provinces is South Kivu, which has seen clashes between the Congolese armed forces and the Rwanda-backed M23 armed group.

UN rights chief Volker Turk has called for an immediate end to the fighting, deploring its impact on civilians and saying there were growing fears that the increased clashes could force further displacement, including into other countries.