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The Democratic Republic of Congo has confirmed a mbadive increase in the number of Ebola cases in one day. The Ebola virus has been particularly destructive in the DRC, where it has been reported since the 1950s. The last major outbreak in August 2018. The country has experienced several successive outbreaks since 2014, which remains the worst in the country. At present, authorities have confirmed that the current outbreak is the second most serious ever recorded, with no imminent end.
On Wednesday, January 23, Congo confirmed a total of 14 new Ebola cases in the eastern border areas.
This is the largest increase of one day since the last outbreak on August 1, 2018.
There are currently 689 confirmed cases of Ebola in the DRC.
Of these, 422 were fatal and 373 were directly attributable to the Ebola virus.
READ MORE: Ebola outbreak kills hundreds as cholorea spreads
The authorities have desperately worked to cope with the outbreak, with the help of pharmaceutical companies working to send vaccines to the country.
The drug maker Merck is trying to form a vaccine for the DRC and has recently redefined its commitment to the cause.
At the World Economic Forum in Davos this week, Lydia Ogden, badociate vice president of the company, informed the public that additional stocks of 300,000 experimental vaccines would be sent to Congo.
This is in addition to the 100,000 already sent by the company since the beginning of the last epidemic.
READ MORE: Ebola infections increase to 400
Merck's vaccine is referred to as the experimental Ebola Zaire V920 vaccine, which the company has developed in collaboration with a number of different health agencies.
Merck said, "It was originally designed by scientists from the National Microbiology Laboratory of the Public Health Agency of Canada."
While efforts to ensure that people are treated for the disease continue, other factors hinder the supply of infected people.
Additional epidemics and political unrest have made health care particularly difficult to administer.
READ MORE: Ebola outbreaks could become even more serious
A cholera outbreak in the DRC has so far killed 60 people in the southeastern region of Katanga, according to a local health minister.
Attacks by armed and violent rebels against Ebola civilians and patients as well as those working to help them are still ongoing.
Among them are UN peacekeepers, who are also targeted.
Jeremy Farrar, a specialist in infectious diseases, said: "In case of political instability, public health still suffers."
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