Ebola infections top 7,000 in Congo as virus spreads to new province
The number of confirmed Ebola cases in Democratic Republic of Congo has passed 7,000, with the virus spreading to a new province, government data showed on Friday.
The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo species of Ebola, became the largest and deadliest in Congo’s history after surpassing the 2018-2020 epidemic.
A Congolese hygiene specialist at the Muthiri Adventist Hospital disinfects the facility, as aid agencies intensify efforts to contain a new Ebola outbreak involving the Bundibugyo strain in the Mutiri quarter of Butembo, North Kivu province, Democratic Republic of Congo, on 10th September, 2026. PICTURE: Reuters/Gradel Muyisa Mumbere
It is now second only to the 2014-2016 West African outbreak, which infected over 28,600 people and killed more than 11,000 across Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
We rely on our readers to fund Sight’s work – become a financial supporter today!
Government figures showed late on Friday that the death toll had risen to 3,398, while confirmed cases reached 7,022 across seven provinces.
Officials said earlier an Ebola case had been detected in South Ubangi province, located in the northwest of the country, far from the epicentre of the outbreak.
They said a 23-year-old man who had died on Tuesday tested positive for the Bundibugyo species.
He left South Kivu province in eastern Congo on 10th July and spent time abroad before re-entering Congo and arriving in South Ubangi, which borders Congo Republic and Central African Republic.
“Contact tracing for the first confirmed case in South Ubangi province is underway,” Congo’s public health institute said in its latest situation report.
Shortages of trained staff, operational partners and funding are causing a bottleneck in efforts to expand the Ebola response, according to the World Health Organization.
Credit: Source link