DR Congo’s Ebola outbreak tops 3,000 cases

Medics have recorded more than 3,000 Ebola cases, including 1,354 deaths, in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s 17th outbreak, officials said Sunday, after infections surged by around 1,000 in just 10 days.

The central African nation is battling its latest Ebola epidemic in the conflict-ridden east, a region scarred by decades of violence.

A total of 3,075 cases have now been confirmed across five provinces, official figures showed, after the outbreak passed the 2,000-case mark on July 15.

Authorities said improved detection and testing had helped identify more infections.

The outbreak, declared on May 15, is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, for which there is no approved vaccine or treatment.

Nearly 90 percent of cases have been reported in the northeastern province of Ituri, which borders South Sudan and Uganda, according to the World Health Organization.

The outbreak could last several more months, while strikes by healthcare workers demanding unpaid wages have disrupted response efforts in some hospitals.

Ebola, which spreads through contact with bodily fluids and causes haemorrhagic fever, has killed more than 15,000 people across Africa over the past 50 years.

Scientists are racing to develop vaccines and treatments against the Bundibugyo strain. Oxford University said Friday that the first volunteer group had received an experimental vaccine specifically targeting the virus.

Several other candidate vaccines are being fast-tracked for clinical trials, while two potential treatments are also under development.

AFP