Congo Ebola Deaths Top 5,000 as the Outbreak Becomes the Second Deadliest in History
Deaths in Congo's Ebola outbreak have passed 5,000, with 10,351 people infected and cases now recorded in other African countries - an outbreak health officials say is spreading largely outside the contact chains they can monitor.
BUNIA, Congo - Deaths in Congo's Ebola outbreak have topped 5,000, the latest government data released Saturday showed, as the disease continues to spread and cases are recorded in other African countries. Data from the Congolese Ministry of Health showed the disease has killed 5,026 people out of 10,351 infected, a lethality rate of nearly 50 percent, the Associated Press reported.
The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo virus, was declared in mid-May. It is already the second deadliest Ebola outbreak in history, behind only the two-year West Africa outbreak of 2014 to 2016, which killed 11,000 people across multiple countries. The virus has been concentrated in eastern Congo, especially Ituri and North Kivu, which account for 9,782 confirmed cases and 4,792 deaths between them, and it has spread across 67 health zones in eight of Congo's 26 provinces. There are no approved treatments or vaccines for the Bundibugyo strain; health workers treat patients based on symptoms, and 2,788 people have recovered so far.
The spread beyond Congo is what has sharpened international concern this week. Kenya confirmed eight cases and two deaths in October, Nigeria's sole confirmed case was evacuated to Switzerland, and Nigeria last week became the fourth African country to report a case, extending the outbreak's reach to West Africa; Saudi Arabia on Friday suspended travel to and entry from Kenya. According to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 80 percent of new cases are coming from outside the chain of monitored contacts - meaning most new infections are arriving through transmission chains health authorities cannot see.
