Ebola Death Toll in DR Congo Exceeds 4,800
The death toll from an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) has surpassed 4,800, while the number of infections has also exceeded 10,000, according to public health authorities.
Data from the country’s National Institute of Public Health showed that the number of Ebola cases had risen to 10,060 as of Tuesday, October 27, Reuters reported. Earlier, updated figures from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), dated October 25, recorded 9,964 cases and 4,851 deaths in the country.
The current outbreak began in DR Congo on May 15 and subsequently spread to eight provinces. Uganda also experienced an outbreak, but the World Health Organization (WHO) declared it over on August 25 after no new infections were reported.
In October, Ebola cases were also identified in Kenya and Nigeria. According to the WHO, the first patient identified in Kenya had a travel link to DR Congo, while the patient identified in Nigeria had a history of travel to Uganda.
Rapid identification of infected individuals, monitoring of contacts and strengthened surveillance in border areas have become crucial to containing the outbreak. The WHO has emphasised the importance of continued coordinated surveillance and public health measures in affected countries.
