Congo’s government says its Ebola outbreak has surpassed 11,000 cases and continues spreading.
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Congo’s Ebola outbreak has topped 11,000 cases, the government said Wednesday, citing the latest health ministry figures.
The ministry reported 11,042 infections and 5,387 deaths, describing it as Congo’s deadliest Ebola outbreak, with nearly half of infections reported in that outbreak.
The outbreak was declared in mid-May, and authorities said containment has been difficult because of armed conflict, a health system crisis, poor roads and violence from residents fuelled by mistrust and misinformation.
The Bundibugyo virus responsible for the outbreak has no known vaccine or treatment, and the disease has spread to eight of Congo’s 26 provinces.
Health authorities said the resurgence of violence in two major hotspots in Ituri and North Kivu provinces has increased worries and is prompting calls to halt fighting so health workers can access people who are sick.
The government also said health facilities and medical professionals have been targeted, and there have been attacks on health workers, as some community members remain skeptical of the virus.
The outbreak has also spread to multiple other African countries, including Uganda, Kenya and Nigeria.
Congo reported that dozens of Ebola outbreaks have been recorded since the disease was first discovered in 1976, noting that the largest and deadliest outbreak occurred in West Africa from 2014 to 2016, with 28,000 infections and more than 11,000 deaths. The current outbreak, the government said, ranks second and has reached at least three times the number of cases and deaths in the time since it was declared compared with the West Africa outbreak.
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