Congo's Ebola outbreak passes 5,000 deaths

The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has now killed more than 5,000 people. Figures from the country's health ministry, released on Saturday, 31 October, put the toll at 5,026 deaths among 10,351 confirmed cases, a fatality rate of almost 49%.

The outbreak was declared on 15 May in Ituri province, in the east of the country. It is caused by the Bundibugyo species of Ebola, a rare strain for which there is no approved vaccine or specific treatment. It is already the largest outbreak in Congo's history and the second deadliest ever recorded, after the West Africa epidemic of 2014 to 2016, which killed about 11,000 people.

Patrick Otim of the World Health Organization called the toll a tragic milestone that shows how severe the outbreak is. Health workers say many infections go undetected: most recent deaths have happened in homes and communities rather than in treatment centres. Fighting between armed groups in eastern Congo also limits where medical teams can go.

The virus has spread beyond Congo. Uganda recorded 20 cases in May and June and was declared free of Ebola in August. Kenya has confirmed nine cases and two deaths since early October, all within one family cluster. Nigeria reported its first case in October, in a patient believed to have been infected in Uganda.

Ebola spreads through direct contact with the body fluids of people who are sick or have died from it. Only people with symptoms can pass it on.