An Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is intensifying at an "exceptional" pace, the World Health Organization warned Saturday, calling for a significant scaling up of the international health response as the outbreak has now become the largest recorded in the country's history.

"This outbreak is now the largest recorded Ebola virus disease outbreak in the country," the WHO said in a statement. The current outbreak was formally declared May 15 and is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, a strain for which there is currently no approved vaccine or treatment.

As of July 30, the WHO reported a total of 3,605 confirmed cases and 1,587 deaths in the outbreak, translating to a case fatality rate of 44%, meaning nearly half of all confirmed cases have resulted in death. The WHO said the outbreak is "intensifying, with sustained transmission and continued increases in reported cases and deaths."

For comparison, the deadliest previous Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo killed nearly 2,300 people out of almost 3,500 recorded cases between 2018 and 2020, meaning the current outbreak has already surpassed that earlier crisis in total confirmed cases, even as the death toll from the current........

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