The number of confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has surpassed 3,000, with the death toll rising to 1,354, according to updated government data released on Sunday.
Health authorities said the outbreak has reached 3,075 confirmed cases, marking a 27% increase compared with figures reported a week earlier.
The latest data also show the death toll has risen by more than 40% in just five days, making it the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak ever recorded in the country.
The outbreak is being driven by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, one of the rarest variants known to infect humans. Unlike the more common Zaire strain, there are currently no approved vaccines or treatments for Bundibugyo Ebola.
Public health expert Abdulsalami Nasidi, who helped establish the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), warned that the absence of an effective vaccine has allowed the virus to spread rapidly.
"The virus is spreading like a wildfire," Nasidi said, adding that ongoing conflict in parts of eastern Congo has complicated response efforts and strained already limited healthcare resources.
Scientists are racing to develop a vaccine against the rare strain.
The University of Oxford's Oxford Vaccine Group announced that the first volunteer received an experimental Bundibugyo Ebola vaccine on Friday.
"This is an important milestone for the trial and marks the next phase in our multinational collaborative journey to develop a Bundibugyo ebolavirus vaccine," said the trial's chief investigator, Katrina Pollock.
Health officials continue to urge enhanced surveillance, rapid case detection and community cooperation as authorities work to contain the outbreak.
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