Congo Ebola Outbreak Passes 11,000 Cases and 5,387 Deaths, Second-Largest on Record
Confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo have passed 11,000, with 5,387 deaths, making it the deadliest outbreak in the country's history and the second-largest ever recorded.
The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has passed 11,000 confirmed cases, government data showed on Tuesday, with 5,387 people dead. The totals cover cases recorded through November 9.
The outbreak, caused by the rare Bundibugyo species of the Ebola virus, is now the second-largest and second-deadliest on record, behind only the 2014-2016 epidemic in West Africa, which infected more than 28,600 people and killed more than 11,000. It is the deadliest Ebola outbreak in Congo’s history. The national public health institute put the case fatality rate at 48.8 percent.
The outbreak was declared in mid-May and has spread to eight of Congo’s 26 provinces: Ituri, Nord-Kivu, Sud-Kivu, Tshopo, Haut-Uélé, Bas-Uélé, Sud-Ubangi and Nord-Ubangi. Ituri remains the center of the outbreak, with 69.6 percent of infections, though that share has fallen as the virus has reached other parts of the country. The toll has climbed from 5,000 deaths at the end of October.
No vaccine or treatment for this strain
There is no approved vaccine or specific treatment for the Bundibugyo species, which kills about half of the people it infects. In early November, the World Health Organization approved clinical trials of two candidate vaccines, and a trial called Tumaini began on October 23 in Bunia. Results are expected in early 2027.
Health officials have struggled to contain the spread. Delayed detection, armed conflict and strained health services have allowed the virus to spread faster than in earlier outbreaks, and many deaths have occurred outside treatment centers. Fighting has flared again in Ituri and North Kivu, the two main hotspots, and health workers have been attacked by residents who distrust the response.
Nearly 3,000 patients had recovered and been discharged, and 966 patients were in hospital or in isolation, according to the latest bulletin. Health workers were following 79.2 percent of contacts.
Widest spread of any Ebola outbreak
Cases have now been reported in East, Central and West Africa. That is the widest geographic spread of any Ebola outbreak on the continent to date, according to Reuters. Cases linked to the Congolese outbreak have been recorded in Kenya and Nigeria. Uganda was declared free of the virus on July 28 after two deaths and 20 cases, and Nigeria was declared free after its only patient was evacuated to Switzerland. The International Organization for Migration said it had detected 71 cases at surveillance points along migration routes.
The World Health Organization declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern two days after it was declared in May. Its November 6 bulletin counted 10,668 confirmed cases and 5,198 deaths as of November 3, with transmission active in 51 of 67 health zones. Projections cited by Europa Press suggest the Congolese outbreak could eventually pass the West African toll.
Reporting based on coverage by Reuters and the World Health Organization.
