THE number of confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has surpassed 10,000, with government data reporting 10,060 infections and 4,887 deaths as of Tuesday, raising concerns that the outbreak could spread to more African countries.
According to the latest situation report from Congo’s public health institute, the outbreak is caused by the rare Bundibugyo species of the Ebola virus. First announced in mid-May, it has become the largest and deadliest Ebola outbreak in the country, surpassing the 2018–2020 epidemic.
The outbreak is now the second-largest and second-deadliest Ebola epidemic on record, behind the 2014–2016 West African outbreak, which infected more than 28,600 people and killed over 11,000, mainly in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
MORE AFRICAN COUNTRIES REPORT CASES
Kenya reported its first case earlier this month and subsequently recorded nine cases in total after a man who had traveled from Congo through Uganda died in Nairobi.
Nigeria also reported an Ebola case last week, becoming the fourth African country to report an infection linked to the current outbreak.
Health officials are investigating how and where the patient, identified as the wife of a Swiss diplomat who had not traveled to Congo, contracted the virus. The Swiss government said she was believed to have contracted the disease in Uganda.
The woman and her husband were flown to hospitals in Switzerland on Monday.
UGANDA IMPOSES QUARANTINE MEASURES
Uganda reported 20 Ebola cases in May and June, most of them imported from Congo. However, the World Health Organization declared the country Ebola-free in August, and Ugandan officials say there are currently no Ebola cases in the country.
Uganda’s health minister said Sunday that citizens returning from Congo with a history of travel there would be quarantined for 21 days as a precautionary measure.
Ebola is a severe and often fatal disease that can spread through direct contact with the blood or bodily fluids of an infected person or through contaminated materials.
The Bundibugyo virus is one of the species known to cause Ebola disease. The growing number of infections and reports from several African countries have heightened concerns about cross-border transmission and the need for coordinated public health measures.