DR Congo: Ebola death toll passes 5,000 as outbreak spreads

More than 5,000 people have now died in the Ebola outbreak sweeping the Democratic Republic of the Congo, according to the latest figures from Congolese health authorities, dated Thursday, October 29.

The authorities recorded 5,026 deaths among 10,351 cases since the outbreak was declared in mid-May, putting the fatality rate among recorded cases at around 49 percent. A total of 2,788 people have recovered.

The toll makes this the second-deadliest Ebola outbreak in history. The disease has reached 67 health zones across eight provinces, with most cases and deaths concentrated in Ituri and North Kivu, in the east of the country.

Containing the virus has proven difficult for response teams. Around 80 percent of new infections are being detected among people who were not on the lists of contacts under medical follow-up, and roughly a third of deaths occurred before patients could reach care.

Health facilities face shortages of staff and equipment, while armed conflict and attacks on health workers are hampering the response. Cases linked to the outbreak have also been reported in Kenya, Nigeria and Uganda.

The circulating virus is the Bundibugyo strain, for which there is no approved vaccine and no proven specific treatment. Medical teams rely on supportive care and the management of complications, alongside early detection, contact tracing and isolation of patients.