KINSHASA (The Thursday Times) — The death toll from Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has passed 5,000, government data show, making it the deadliest outbreak of the virus ever recorded in the country, with no approved treatment or vaccine for the strain driving it.
More than 10,000 people have been infected since the outbreak was declared in May. It is caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain of the virus, for which there are no approved therapies or vaccines, and has reached eight of the country’s 26 provinces as delayed detection, armed conflict and overstretched health services allowed it to spread faster than in past outbreaks.
The virus has crossed borders. Kenya and Uganda in East Africa have reported cases, and last week Nigeria became the fourth African country to confirm one, extending the outbreak to West Africa. It is now the second-largest Ebola outbreak on record, behind only the 2014–2016 epidemic in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, which infected more than 28,600 people and killed more than 11,000.
Governments are tightening travel rules. Saudi Arabia on Friday suspended travel to and entry from Kenya, halting visas for Kenyan travellers and barring anyone who has been in Kenya or another affected country in the previous 21 days, including those in transit, the Saudi Press Agency said. The kingdom suspended travel to and from the DRC, Uganda and South Sudan in June.
