Ebola cases in DR Congo pass 11,000 with 5,387 deaths

The number of confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has reached 11,042, and at least 5,387 people have died, according to the latest government health ministry data. Al Jazeera reported that the figures were released on Tuesday, while Medical Xpress said the government announced them on Wednesday.

The outbreak is caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus. It was declared in mid-May and has since spread to eight of the country's 26 provinces. Ituri and North Kivu are the two major hot spots, where violence has resurged.

Al Jazeera described it as the second-largest and second-deadliest Ebola outbreak on record, behind the 2014-2016 West African outbreak, which infected more than 28,600 people and killed more than 11,000. Medical Xpress, which put that outbreak at about 28,000 infections, said the current one has at least three times as many cases and deaths as the West African outbreak had in the time since it was declared.

Congolese authorities have struggled to contain the disease. Reports point to armed conflict, a crisis in the health system, poor roads, and violence from residents driven by mistrust and misinformation. Delayed detection and strained health services have also led to faster spread than in earlier outbreaks, and many deaths have occurred outside treatment centres.

Health facilities and medical professionals have been targeted by people in communities sceptical of the virus, with several attacks on health workers. Health authorities are calling for a halt to the fighting so that health workers can reach the sick without hindrance.

No vaccine or treatment has been developed specifically for the Bundibugyo strain, which kills about half of those it infects. Earlier this month, the World Health Organization approved clinical trials of two new Ebola vaccines and said it expected results in early 2027.

Cases have also been reported beyond Congo. Al Jazeera said they have appeared in East, Central and West Africa, and Medical Xpress named Uganda, Kenya and Nigeria among the affected countries.