More than 5,000 people have died from Ebola in the DRC — Der Spiegel

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the number of deaths resulting from the Ebola outbreak has exceeded 5,000. Der Spiegel reports this, citing government data.

More than 10,000 infected

Since the outbreak became known in May, more than 10,000 people have contracted the virus. The country’s authorities have still been unable to contain the epidemic, which the publication calls the deadliest in the history of the DRC.

The current outbreak was caused by a rare type of Ebola virus — Bundibugyo. There are currently no approved treatments or vaccines for it.

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Cases in four countries

The epidemic has affected eight of the DRC’s 26 provinces, with many deaths recorded outside treatment centers. Last week, Nigeria reported an Ebola case, becoming the fourth African country where the disease has been detected during this outbreak. Cases have also been recorded in Kenya and Uganda.

In scale, the current outbreak is smaller than the 2014–2016 epidemic: at that time, more than 28,600 people were infected in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, and more than 11,000 died.