Congo's Ebola outbreak has now killed more than 5,000 people, the country's health ministry reported Saturday, deepening fears about the spread of the disease across Africa, according to the Associated Press.
The numbers
Ministry data showed 5,026 deaths among 10,351 infections, a fatality rate of nearly 50%. The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo virus and declared in mid-May, is already the second deadliest Ebola outbreak in history, behind the 2014-2016 West Africa epidemic that killed about 11,000 people. There is no known vaccine or treatment for Bundibugyo, so health workers treat symptoms. So far 2,788 people have recovered.
The virus has reached 67 of Congo's 178 health zones in eight of 26 provinces, with 50 zones reporting active cases. Ituri and North Kivu in the east are the epicenters, with 9,782 confirmed cases and 4,792 deaths.
Why it is hard to contain
Contact tracing and testing remain weak. The Africa CDC says about 80% of new cases come from outside monitored contact chains, and the World Health Organization's Dr. Patrick Otim said one-third of deaths occur outside treatment centers, before testing. "It is a very tragic milestone because it is just not a number," he said. "It is families and communities that have been devastated."
Fighting between the government and armed groups, including the Rwanda-backed M23, and attacks by the Allied Democratic Forces limit access for health workers. There is widespread disbelief about the disease and attacks on responders: a nurse was killed last week and a politician was killed in September after promoting health measures on the radio. Health workers have also struck over months of unpaid wages, including at a treatment center in Tchomia, Ituri.
Spread beyond Congo
Cases have been confirmed in Uganda, Kenya and Nigeria. Kenya has reported eight cases and two deaths, and Nigeria's one confirmed patient was evacuated to Switzerland. That makes this the first outbreak recorded in three African regions and the continent's most geographically widespread.
Sources: PBS NewsHour, Associated Press