Democratic Republic of the Congo is battling a fresh outbreak of Ebola that has claimed 80 lives, with health authorities warning that the Bundibugyo strain currently has no vaccine or specific treatment.
Health Minister Samuel-Roger Kamba said on Saturday that the strain carries a “very high lethality rate” that could reach 50 percent. The latest figures showed an increase from the 65 deaths reported a day earlier.
Speaking during a press briefing in Kinshasa, Kamba stressed the urgency of containing the outbreak, noting that health officials are responding to the crisis without a vaccine or targeted medical treatment for the Bundibugyo strain.
