Ebola tops 11,000 cases in Congo's deadliest outbreak

Government data shows that confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo have surpassed 11,000, reaching a total of 11,042. Adom Online reported that 5,387 people have died from the virus. This outbreak, which was declared in mid-May, is caused by the rare Bundibugyo species of the Ebola virus. MyJoyOnline Ghana noted that there are no approved treatments or vaccines specifically for this strain, which kills approximately half of those it infects.

The outbreak has affected eight of the country's 26 provinces, with many deaths occurring outside of treatment centres. Both Adom Online and MyJoyOnline Ghana stated that the virus has now been reported in East, Central, and West Africa, representing the widest geographic spread of any Ebola outbreak on the continent to date. It is the second-largest and second-deadliest outbreak on record, following the 2014-2016 West African outbreak.

Authorities have struggled to contain the spread due to factors including conflict, a health system crisis, and delayed detection. The Hindu - Sci-Tech and The Hindu Health attribute the difficulty in containment to these ongoing conflicts and a crisis within the health system.

Brief written by urgent.news from NPR, The Hindu - Sci-Tech, The Hindu Health, Adom Online, MyJoyOnline Ghana — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.