World Health Organisation (WHO) expert Anais Legand has confirmed 906 suspected Ebola cases, with 223 deaths reported from an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

There are in total 906 suspected cases, and 223 of these have resulted in deaths, which are currently under investigation, she noted at a briefing in Geneva. Investigations are continuing, and the figure will change as testing capacities are scaled up.

The proportion of deaths among those who tested positive for the disease is between 30% and 50%, according to Anais Legand from WHO Health Emergencies Programme’s High Threat Pathogens Team.

“This is really high. That means about five in ten people are going to die,” Legand added while also stating that more information should be gathered about the disease since it is still early. According to Legand, prompt treatment could be key to lowering the mortality rate.

“There is nothing we can do for the Bundibugyo virus at this moment because there is neither a vaccine nor a treatment for the disease,” WHO stated.