Ebola outbreak in DR Congo passes 5,000 deaths, with over 10,000 cases

Death toll and caseload

Health authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo reported 5,026 Ebola deaths since mid-May, with 10,351 cases recorded. At the time of that update, 1,101 people were being treated or held in isolation, and 2,788 former patients were recorded as recovered. Figures published on 30 and 31 October crossed the same thresholds, with more than 5,000 deaths and more than 10,000 infections. Experts believe the real numbers could be higher, because the disease spread unnoticed since at least February, before the outbreak was officially announced on 15 May.

Deaths5,026

Cases10,351

In treatment or isolation1,101

Recovered2,788

Deaths

5026 people

Cases

10351 people

In treatment or isolation

1101 people

Recovered

2788 people

Data from the article text

Spread across the country and region

Eight of the country's 26 provinces are affected, and many deaths have occurred outside treatment centres. The outbreak is among the most severe on record, and only the 2014 to 2016 epidemic in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone was larger, infecting more than 28,600 people and killing over 11,000. Infections are rising faster than in earlier epidemics, a pattern linked to late detection of the virus and a weak health system. The virus has also reached the north and east of the country, where the state exercises only limited control because of conflicts that have lasted for years.

Other African countries are affected too. Uganda has recorded 20 infections and two deaths. Kenya reported its first case in early October, and its cases trace back to a Kenyan man who had been in Congo and has since died. Nigeria reported its first case on 20 October, and the wife of a Swiss diplomat fell ill a few days after a multi-week trip to Uganda. The only European case so far was detected in France in June, in a doctor who had worked on a crisis mission in eastern Congo and was later discharged recovered.

Why containment is difficult

There is currently no approved treatment or vaccine for the Bundibugyo strain. Ervebo is approved and recommended only for the form of the virus previously called Zaire ebolavirus. Early symptoms can be mistaken for malaria, which delays isolation and treatment. Two antiviral therapies have been in clinical trials since July, and vaccine trials are testing whether Ervebo also protects against the Bundibugyo type. The World Health Organization has warned that containing the virus across the African continent is a complex task. The disease causes high fever, diarrhoea and bleeding, and spreads through body contact and bodily fluids.

Timeline of the outbreak

According to experts, the infection circulated undetected from February. The outbreak was officially announced on 15 May, and the only European case so far was recorded in June. Clinical trials of antiviral therapies started in July, and Kenya reported its first case in early October. Nigeria's first case followed on 20 October, and the death toll continues to rise as the outbreak spreads across provinces.