Estimated DR Congo Ebola death toll rises to 131

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Kinshasa: The estimated death toll from the rapid Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has risen sharply to at least 131 fatalities, health minister Samuel Roger Kamba announced Tuesday. Suspected infections have spiked dramatically to 513 cases, a significant leap from the previously reported 91 deaths.

This widening crisis follows a formal declaration by the World Health Organization designating the epidemic a public health emergency of international concern. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed deep alarm over the speed and scale of the transmission, noting that infections are entering major urban areas.

Compounding global health anxieties, scientists have confirmed the outbreak is driven by the rare Bundibugyo strain. Unlike the more common Zaire variant, the Bundibugyo strain has no approved vaccines or targeted therapeutic treatments. Containment efforts are further paralyzed by regional active conflicts and weak local healthcare systems, threatening a wider regional disaster.