Ebola Outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo Surpasses 5,000 Deaths

Authorities are struggling to contain the outbreak, with no approved treatments or vaccines available.

The Ebola death toll in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has surpassed 5,000, according to government data, as authorities struggle to contain the country’s deadliest recorded outbreak of the virus.

The updated fatality count was announced on Friday.

Ebola has infected more than 10,000 people in the DRC since the outbreak was declared in May.

There are no approved treatments or vaccines to combat the rare Bundibugyo strain of the virus responsible for the ongoing outbreak.

Delayed detection, armed conflict, and strained health services have helped the virus spread more rapidly than in previous outbreaks, reaching eight of the DRC’s 26 provinces to date.

The virus has also spread to neighboring countries.

Last week, Nigeria became the fourth African country to report an Ebola case, extending the outbreak’s geographic reach into West Africa. East African countries Kenya and Uganda have also reported cases.

This year’s Ebola outbreak is the second-largest ever, behind only the 2014–2016 epidemic that infected more than 28,600 people and killed more than 11,000 across Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.

Some governments have restricted travel to affected countries or quarantined travelers who recently visited or transited through them.

On Friday, Saudi Arabia suspended travel to and entry from Kenya, according to the Saudi Press Agency.

The measures include suspending travel by Saudi citizens to Kenya and pausing the issuance of all visa types for travelers from the country.

The kingdom is also prohibiting entry to travelers arriving from Kenya, including those transiting through third countries who have stayed in Kenya or other Ebola-affected countries within the previous 21 days.

In June, Saudi Arabia suspended travel to and entry from the DRC, Uganda, and South Sudan.

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