The Africa CDC reports 5,376 deaths from the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, with the majority of cases occurring in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The death toll from the latest Ebola outbreak in Africa has surpassed 5,300 people, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC). The majority of these cases have been recorded in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which serves as the epicentre of the outbreak. The DRC declared its 17th and largest Ebola outbreak in mid-May.
According to data from the Africa CDC released on Monday, the outbreak has killed a total of 5,376 people. The breakdown of fatalities is as follows:
In Kenya, the two deaths and nine infections recorded in October represent the first recorded cases of Ebola in the country. Uganda previously recorded 20 cases, almost all involving individuals who had traveled from the DRC, before the country was declared Ebola-free in August.
The current outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the virus. This strain has infected approximately 10,444 people across the DRC, Uganda, and Kenya, maintaining a death rate of more than 50 percent.
While the virus has crossed borders several times in recent months, health authorities in Nigeria reported that two rounds of testing on two suspected cases in the northeast region confirmed the samples were negative. In Abuja, the first imported case in more than a decade was reported in October, though there have been no recorded deaths there. Additionally, a single case involving a health worker returning from the DRC was reported in France in July.
There are currently no approved treatments or vaccines to combat the Bundibugyo strain. However, clinical trials have begun in recent weeks using the Ervebo vaccine, which has proved effective against the more common Zaire strain.
The scale of this outbreak represents the largest recorded instance of Ebola in the DRC, with the Bundibugyo strain demonstrating a high mortality rate and the ability to spread across national borders.
Sources
This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.
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