The death toll from Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo has exceeded 1,000, according to official data, as medics try to contain the outbreak amid militant violence, attacks on clinics and widespread shortages, UNN reports citing Reuters.
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The number of confirmed Ebola cases has risen to 2,536, the Congo Institute of Public Health reported late Wednesday. The death toll has surpassed the 1,000 mark, reaching 1,033, it added.
The Ebola outbreak, the 17th in Congo, was declared in mid-May, but experts believe the infection began spreading weeks earlier.
It is caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain, which has a fatality rate of up to 40%. There is no approved vaccine.
Health officials have had to contend with instability in eastern Congo, the epicenter of the outbreak, where dozens of armed groups operate.
There is a shortage of basic supplies and attacks on health facilities by local residents. Some relatives who lost loved ones have been angered by health restrictions that prevent them from burying their dead.
Some have believed conspiracy theories that the outbreak is a hoax.
Ebola spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected people, alive or dead. It can cause fever, vomiting, diarrhea and, in severe cases, internal and external bleeding.
Unlike the more common Zaire strain, there are no approved vaccines or treatments for Bundibugyo. A small number of experimental vaccines and treatments are under review as experts assess whether existing Ebola drugs could help against the Bundibugyo strain, a prospect supported so far only by limited animal study data.
The Congo government, which updates data daily, reported 63 new cases and 34 deaths since the last report.
The outbreak has spread to neighboring Uganda, but authorities there have managed to limit the number of confirmed cases to 20. No cases have been reported in Uganda since June 22, and the last Ebola patient there was discharged on July 16, starting a 42-day countdown until the East African country can be declared virus-free.
Ebola outbreak in Congo becomes the fastest in history and continues to gain momentum14.07.26, 02:56