DR Congo Ebola epidemic ever passes 7,000 cases

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Kinshasa, DR Congo: The Democratic Republic of Congo is confronting its worst Ebola epidemic on record after total cases surpassed 7,000, with nearly 3,400 deaths reported. 

Officially detected in mid-May, the country’s 17th outbreak of the highly infectious virus has so far recorded 7,022 cases, 3,398 fatalities, and 1,671 recoveries.

The outbreak initially emerged in northeastern Ituri province before spreading into remote, conflict-torn regions where state presence is weak and healthcare infrastructure is severely lacking. The disease recently reached a seventh province, South-Ubangi, which borders the Central African Republic and Congo-Brazzaville.

The majority of cases remain in Ituri, where recent virus detections in schools following the post-summer holiday return have alarmed parents and medical staff. 

School authorities in the provincial capital of Bunia have responded by introducing mandatory hand-washing stations, limiting classroom capacity to 30 students, and instructing pupils to avoid physical contact.

This epidemic is caused by the Bundibugyo strain, for which no approved treatment or vaccine currently exists, though several are undergoing tests. Spread through bodily fluids, Ebola causes severe bleeding and organ failure, and has claimed more than 15,000 lives in Africa over the last 50 years.