Africa Ebola outbreak passes 10,000 cases, mostly in DR Congo
An Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has surpassed 10,000 confirmed cases with nearly 5,000 fatalities. The virus has spread to neighboring countries, prompting concerns from the World Health Organization regarding containment efforts in conflict-ridden regions.
Why it matters
The high fatality rate and the lack of approved vaccines for this specific Ebola strain pose a significant public health threat to the African continent.
KINSHASA - Africa's latest outbreak of Ebola has passed 10,000 confirmed cases, the vast majority of them in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Congolese health authorities said on Tuesday, with almost 5,000 fatalities.
According to the DRC's figures, 10,060 people have been infected and 4,887 have died since the virus was first detected in May in the vast central African country's deadliest outbreak in its history.
Cases have likewise been detected in Kenya, Nigeria and Uganda, with the World Health Organization warning that Africa faces a "complex" task to contain an outbreak spanning the east, west and centre of the continent.
While some 2,684 have recovered from the virus in the DRC, the epidemic's fatality rate appears to be close to 50 percent, according to the Congolese National Institute of Public Health.
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