DR Congo Ebola cases surpass 7,000, deaths near 3,400

The number of confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) had surpassed 7,000, with nearly 3,400 deaths reported, according to the latest government situation report released on Friday.

As of Thursday, health authorities had recorded 7,022 confirmed cases and 3,398 deaths, putting the case fatality rate at 48.4 percent. A total of 1,671 patients have recovered.

The outbreak has now affected 62 health zones across seven provinces in the country. Sud-Ubangi became the latest affected province after a case was confirmed there, local authorities said Thursday. The patient, a 23-year-old man with a travel history from South Kivu province, was reported dead.

Sud-Ubangi does not border any of the six provinces where confirmed Ebola cases had previously been reported, namely, Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uele, Bas-Uele and Tshopo.

The current outbreak, declared on May 15, has become the largest and deadliest in DR Congo’s history and the second largest globally — trailing only the 2014-2016 West Africa epidemic, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Aug 12.

An age-old feather duster craft in north China’s Hebei Province has found new life online, as livestreaming turns a village tradition into a source of income for elderly residents. In Luan’nan County, Tangshan City, Liu Wenhao, Party secretary of Zhangmawan Village, is promoting the village’s handmade feather dusters alongside fellow villagers in livestreams. Since 2024, he has led villagers in bringing the traditional craft online, quickly turning it into an internet sensation.

Elderly villagers now craft dusters while also serving as online hosts, participating in livestreams and welcoming tourists. Liu Huiying is one of them.

“This is no small income. I earn about 20,000 yuan (about 2,981 U.S. dollars) a year, which is more than enough. They call me an internet celebrity. I’m happy,” she said.

The feather duster craft has a long history in Zhangmawan. Once a sideline for villagers during the agricultural off-season, craftsmen worked from dawn to dusk only to sell a single duster for 0.3 to 0.5 yuan. Sales were slightly better at rural fairs, but earnings were barely enough to make a living. As modern cleaning products diversified, traditional feather dusters gradually faded from daily life.

In recent years, with the rise of short-video platforms, several young people in the village began experimenting with short videos. Their first video showing the making of a feather duster garnered more than 600,000 views.

“Our village’s traditional craft was well-known throughout the region. So we thought, with so many people here skilled at making feather dusters, why not sell them online and help boost their incomes?” said Liu.

Zhangmawan has more than 200 residents over the age of 60. To boost their incomes and pass on the craft, product transformation was key. Young villagers pooled their ideas and decided to enter the cultural and creative market.

While veteran artisans persisted in handmade production, younger people focused on innovative designs, launching new items such as car hangings, bag charms, desktop ornaments and cat teasers, tailored to modern aesthetics and lifestyles.

Online popularity has also boosted offline tourism. The village has leveraged its advantages to offer craft workshops, rural sightseeing, farm meals and educational study tours, attracting a large number of visitors and children.

“You can hang it on a schoolbag or car keys — it can go in many places. And if something gets dirty, you can use it to sweep,” said Meng Shixuan, a young visitor.

“We want to keep updating our cultural and creative feather duster products, and through short videos and livestreaming, develop the village’s study tour and sightseeing businesses to provide more jobs and income opportunities,” Liu said.