United Nations: Ebola Virus Claims a Victim Every Thirty Minutes in Congo

United Nations: Ebola Virus Claims a Victim Every Thirty Minutes in Congo

Tom Fletcher, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator at the United Nations, announced that the Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo claims a life every thirty minutes, urging for greater international action to combat its spread. Fletcher stated in a remark that “this outbreak is the most rapidly spreading ever,” adding, “we need speed and expansion in response and solidarity before the virus advances any further.”

Fletcher warned, after reviewing the latest efforts to contain the virus—which is transmitted through contact with bodily fluids and causes hemorrhagic fever—that “Ebola is winning in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and we cannot allow the virus to outpace our response.”

He revealed that “the epidemic is killing one person every 30 minutes,” indicating that “many more people are at risk.”

Fletcher noted that “countries have donated approximately 300 million dollars so far to a fund dedicated to combating this outbreak.”

The Ebola virus outbreak has claimed the lives of at least 2128 individuals out of more than 4500 infections since its emergence was announced in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on May 15, where the United Nations has warned that this outbreak is on track to become the deadliest in the history of the disease.