Fatalities from the most recent Ebola epidemic in Africa have climbed past 5,300, with the bulk of cases logged in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said.
The DRC sits at the centre of the current outbreak, which it declared in mid-May as its 17th and largest Ebola outbreak. Africa CDC data released on Monday show 5,376 deaths overall: 5,372 in the DRC, plus two each in Kenya and Uganda. The Bundibugyo strain behind the outbreak has infected about 10,444 people across the three countries, with a fatality rate above 50 percent.
Cases spread across borders in recent months
The virus has crossed national borders several times in recent months. Uganda logged 20 cases, nearly all among people who had travelled from the DRC, and was declared Ebola-free in August.
Also read: Ebola death toll in DR Congo tops 5,000 as outbreak spreads · Ebola cases in DR Congo pass 10,000 in fastest-growing outbreak
Kenya recorded two deaths and nine infections in October, its first confirmed cases of the disease. Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, saw two suspected cases in its northeast come back negative after two rounds of testing, health authorities said.
Abuja reported its first imported case in October, the first in more than ten years, and it has recorded no deaths. In France, a single case involving a health worker who had returned from the DRC was reported in July.
No approved treatments for the Bundibugyo strain
No treatments or vaccines have been approved to fight the rare Bundibugyo strain. Clinical trials have recently begun using the Ervebo vaccine, which has proved effective against the more common Zaire strain.
