Number of Ebola deaths passes 5,000 amid fears over containment efforts
The disease has killed almost 50% of the people that have been infected.
The number of deaths in DR Congo’s Ebola outbreak has topped 5,000 as the country grapples with the relentless spread of the disease and cases are recorded in other African countries, the latest government data on Saturday shows.
Data from the DR Congolese ministry of health showed that the disease has killed 5,026 people out of 10,351 infected, at a nearly 50% lethality rate.
The surge is sparking concerns among experts regarding the authorities’ ability to contain the deadly virus.
The latest outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo virus, was declared in mid-May, catching authorities by surprise.
They have since struggled to manage it.
It is already the second deadliest Ebola outbreak in history, second only to a two-year-long West Africa outbreak between 2014 and 2016, which killed 11,000 people across multiple countries.
“It is a very tragic milestone because it is just not a number,” said Dr Patrick Otim, a programme area manager with the World Health Organisation.
“It is families and communities that have been devastated by this outbreak. The number also shows the severity of this outbreak.”
The number of people to have recovered from the virus so far is 2,788.
The Bundibugyo virus has no known vaccine or treatment, but health workers treat patients based on symptoms.
Since May, the disease has spread to 67 out of the country’s 178 health zones in eight of 26 provinces. Fifty of the affected 67 health zones have active cases.
The virus has been concentrated in the eastern region of DR Congo, especially in Ituri and North Kivu, which have emerged as the epicentres with 9,782 total confirmed cases and 4,792 total deaths.
Authorities are still struggling with tracing contacts and testing, key components in the race to curb the outbreak.
The explosive number of infections in Congo comes on the heels of a long list of issues that have hamstrung efforts to contain the outbreak.
The eastern region of Congo, where the outbreak is concentrated, plays host to a conflict between the government and an array of armed groups, most prominently the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group, and there is also an Islamist insurgency in the border areas with Uganda, where the Allied Democratic Forces carry out attacks, limiting the reach of healthcare workers.
Also, there is widespread disbelief among the population, which has led to a series of attacks on health workers and health facilities. A nurse was killed while responding to an Ebola alert last week, and a politician from the ruling party was killed in September after advocating for health measures on the radio.
In October, both Kenya and Nigeria confirmed cases of Ebola. Kenya has confirmed eight cases and two deaths, while Nigeria’s sole confirmed case had been evacuated to Switzerland.
The confirmation of cases in both countries, and earlier in Uganda, made the latest outbreak the first recorded in three African regions and the continent’s most geographically widespread outbreak.