DR Congo’s worsening Ebola outbreak tops 4,000 cases
The Democratic Republic of Congo’s confirmed Ebola infections have surpassed 4,000 for the first time during the current outbreak, according to the latest government data.
The epidemic, described as the world’s second-largest Ebola outbreak, is also considered the fastest-spreading on record. Health experts believe the virus had been circulating for several months before the outbreak was officially declared on May 15, and they warn that the actual number of infections is likely far higher than the confirmed total, Reuters reported.
In its latest report, the country’s National Institute of Public Health said the number of confirmed cases had reached 4,053, including 1,850 deaths.
Cases have been reported in five provinces: Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uele and Tshopo.
A study published last month in the journal Science concluded that the outbreak likely began in January, or even earlier, in Ituri province. Researchers identified more than 500 suspected cases between mid-January and May 15.
According to experts, delayed detection, overstretched disease surveillance systems, ongoing armed conflict, and the lack of vaccines and treatments for the strain of the virus involved have allowed the outbreak to spread faster than containment efforts.
Only the 2014–2016 Ebola outbreak in West Africa was larger, with more than 28,000 confirmed cases recorded across Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
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