Kinshasa: The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has become the deadliest in the country's history, with the latest government data reporting 2,325 fatalities due to the virus. Confirmed cases have surged to 4,945, with 101 new cases detected in the last 24 hours, as reported by Congo's public health institute. According to France24.com, the current outbreak has surpassed the death toll from the 2018-2020 outbreak, previously the worst on record in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This marks the 17th Ebola outbreak in the country, now the largest in terms of cases since late July. The outbreak's severity is second only to the West African Ebola outbreak of 2014-2016, which recorded 28,616 cases and 11,310 deaths across Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, according to the World Health Organization. Remarkably, Congo's current outbreak reached 2,000 deaths in less than three months, a significantly shorter time frame compared to previous outbreaks. The current outbreak is attributed to the Bu ndibugyo species of Ebola, which lacks approved vaccines or treatments. Efforts to control the outbreak have been hampered by weak health infrastructure, community resistance, and instability, complicating the identification and response to cases. The case fatality ratio, which measures the proportion of deaths after confirmed infections, has increased from about 20% in early June to 46%, based on government data. This indicates that nearly one in every two confirmed cases is now fatal. Experts attribute this trend to persistent shortcomings in surveillance, case detection, and access to care, rather than increased lethality of the virus. Thomas Parisch, a public health specialist with Médecins Sans Frontières, noted that the case fatality ratio typically falls as an outbreak progresses, with improved contact tracing and earlier patient identification and treatment. However, many cases continue to be detected late, with treatment less likely to succeed, and numerous cases only identified post-mortem in the community. While a limited number of experimental vaccines and therapies are under evaluation, global health authorities are assessing whether existing Ebola treatments could provide protection. Current evidence is limited to animal studies. The outbreak previously spread to neighboring Uganda, where authorities successfully limited fatalities to two and confirmed cases to 20, declaring an end to the outbreak there last month. Ebola is transmitted through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected individuals, living or deceased, and can lead to fever, vomiting, diarrhea, and severe cases of internal and external bleeding.