Congo’s Ebola outbreak death toll crosses 5,000, half the total infected

The death toll from the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has crossed 5,000, with more than 10,000 people infected as the disease continues to spread across the country and cases are reported in other African nations, the latest government data showed on Saturday.Data from the Congolese health ministry showed that 5,026 people had died among 10,351 reported infections, representing a fatality rate of nearly 50 per cent. The rising toll has raised concerns among health experts about the authorities' ability to contain the outbreak, AP reported.|The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo virus, was declared in mid-May, taking authorities by surprise. Since then, health officials have struggled to contain its spread.It is now the second-deadliest Ebola outbreak on record, behind the two-year West African outbreak between 2014 and 2016, which killed 11,000 people across several 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 (WHO), AP reported.“It is families and communities that have been devastated by this outbreak. The number also shows the severity of this outbreak.”A total of 2,788 people have reportedly recovered so far.The Bundibugyo virus has no known vaccine or treatment, and healthcare workers are treating patients based on their symptoms.Ebola spreads across Congo's provincesSince May, the outbreak has reached 67 of Congo's 178 health zones across eight of its 26 provinces. Fifty of the affected health zones continue to report active cases.The outbreak has been concentrated in the country's eastern region, particularly Ituri and North Kivu provinces, which together have recorded 9,782 confirmed cases and 4,792 deaths.Health authorities continue to face difficulties in contact tracing and testing, both considered essential to containing the spread of the virus.According to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, cited by the AP, around 80 per cent of new cases are emerging outside the chain of contacts being monitored by health officials.Around one-third of recorded deaths have also occurred outside treatment centres, before the victims could be tested for Ebola, WHO's Otim said.Conflict in eastern Congo complicates responseThe outbreak has placed additional pressure on efforts to contain the disease in a region already affected by conflict and insecurity.Eastern Congo, where the outbreak is concentrated, is the site of fighting between government forces and several armed groups, including the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group. An Islamist insurgency also operates in border areas with Uganda, where the Allied Democratic Forces carry out attacks.The security situation has restricted the reach of healthcare workers, complicating efforts to trace contacts, test suspected cases and provide timely treatment.You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.