Congo Ebola Deaths Top 5,000 in Second-Deadliest Outbreak in History

Deaths from Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo have passed 5,000, according to government data reported by Reuters on Friday and by the Associated Press on Saturday. Data from the Congolese Ministry of Health showed that the disease has killed 5,026 people out of 10,351 infected, a lethality rate of nearly 50 percent. The outbreak is already the second-deadliest Ebola outbreak in history, behind only the West Africa outbreak of 2014 to 2016, which killed 11,000 people across multiple countries.

What the latest figures show

The country's National Institute of Public Health, known as the INSP, recorded the same cumulative totals of 5,026 confirmed deaths and 10,351 confirmed cases as of October 29, in its situation report 168, published on October 30. The institute recorded 77 new confirmed cases and 34 deaths in the preceding 24-hour reporting period, put the cumulative case-fatality proportion at 48.6 percent, and listed 2,788 recoveries and 1,101 patients in isolation or treatment centres. All of the figures come from Congolese government and health authorities, and they were reported independently by Reuters, the Associated Press and the INSP situation report.

An outbreak concentrated in the east

Since the outbreak was declared in mid-May, the disease has spread to 67 of the country's 178 health zones in eight of its 26 provinces. The virus has been concentrated in the eastern region, especially in Ituri and North Kivu, which have emerged as the epicentres with 9,782 total confirmed cases and 4,792 total deaths between them. The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo virus. There is no known vaccine or treatment for this virus, and health workers treat patients based on their symptoms.

The response is struggling to track how the virus is moving. According to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 80 percent of new cases are coming from outside the chain of monitored contacts, which means most new infections come from unknown chains of transmission. Dr. Patrick Otim, a program area manager with the World Health Organization, told the Associated Press that one-third of recorded deaths are people who died outside treatment centres, before being tested for Ebola.

Cases beyond Congo

The outbreak has also crossed borders. 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 Associated Press reported. Saudi Arabia announced on Friday that it was suspending travel to and entry from Kenya, according to the Saudi Press Agency. Health officials say the spread to other African countries has raised the pressure on containment efforts around the eastern Congo epicentres, where most patients are still being found outside the monitored contact lists.