EBOLA OUTBREAK SURPASSES 10,000 CASES, NEARLY 5,000 DEATHS

Articles By: Rorisang Mokgojwe

Africa’s latest Ebola outbreak has surpassed 10,000 confirmed cases, with nearly 5,000 deaths reported, as health authorities struggle to contain the virus across parts of the continent.

Congolese health authorities say 10,060 people have been infected and 4,887 have died since the outbreak was detected in the Democratic Republic of Congo in May. The outbreak, the deadliest in the DRC’s history, has also been reported in Kenya, Nigeria and Uganda, prompting the World Health Organization to warn of the challenge of containing the virus across eastern, western and central Africa.

The DRC has recorded 2,684 recoveries, with the fatality rate estimated at close to 50 percent.

Efforts to contain the outbreak are complicated by the lack of approved vaccines or treatments for the Bundibugyo strain responsible for the epidemic. The virus was first detected in the northeastern province of Ituri after spreading undetected for weeks. It has since affected parts of northern and eastern DRC, where insecurity and limited public trust in state institutions are further complicating the response.

Ituri and North Kivu, where armed groups including the Rwanda-backed M23 operate, account for most reported cases.