Ebola deaths top 3,000 in DR Congo

Health officials in the Democratic Republic of the Congo say the death toll from the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the central African nation has exceeded 3,000.

Ebola cases have been spreading primarily in the northeastern province of Ituri since May.

The health authorities announced on Tuesday that the outbreak has infected 6,186 people, including 3,007 who died. The fatality rate stands at 48.6 percent.

The epidemic has now spread to six provinces, mainly across eastern and northeastern regions.

Against this backdrop, staff members at a school in the province of North Kivu were seen urging children to disinfect their hands when the new school year began on Tuesday.

World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Wednesday called the epidemic “the fastest-moving that we have ever seen.”

He noted that many deaths were confirmed outside treatment centers and also among people who were not on lists of known contacts. He said this suggests there are chains of transmission that have yet to be confirmed.

The WHO says the outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo virus. There are no approved vaccines for the virus, although two new vaccine candidates are undergoing safety trials in Britain and Canada.

Tedros said the Ebola response needs to be scaled up in order to tackle the outbreak. He called for more support from the international community.