More than 5,000 people die from Ebola in DR Congo
The ongoing outbreak has affected eight provinces and recorded more than 10,300 confirmed cases, according to government data.
More than 5,000 people have died from an ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to BBC News reporting on government data. The outbreak, which began in May, became the country's deadliest in its history in August.
The health ministry stated that the epicentre remains in the north-east Ituri province, which is a conflict zone. There are more than 10,300 confirmed cases across eight of the 26 provinces, with a current case fatality rate of 48.6 per cent.
The United Nations said this is the 17th outbreak in the country's history and the second largest. The Bundibugyo species is responsible for the current outbreak, though there is no treatment or vaccine for this strain.
The United Nations warned that the outbreak is taking lives at a much faster rate than the previous deadliest outbreak, which saw 2,299 deaths between 2018 and 2020. The World Health Organization (WHO) office in Africa said that testing, treatment, and vaccine clinical trials are under way.
Challenges to containing the virus include attacks on responders. Radio Okapi reported that local youths accused health workers of contaminating water, leading to the death of a nurse and injuries to another worker. A politician was also beaten to death last month after promoting prevention measures.
In neighbouring countries, Kenya has recorded nine confirmed cases and two deaths. Nigeria identified two suspected cases on Saturday, while Uganda reported 20 cases and two deaths shortly after the outbreak started, but no cases since August.