Ebola death toll in DR Congo passes 5,000
Authorities are struggling to find a way to control the outbreak, with no approved treatments or vaccines.
The death toll from Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has surpassed 5,000, government data show, with authorities yet to find a way to control the country’s deadliest outbreak of the virus on record.
The latest death toll was announced on Friday.
Ebola has infected more than 10,000 people in the DRC since the outbreak was declared in May.
There are no approved treatments or vaccines to combat the rare Bundibugyo strain of the virus, responsible for the ongoing outbreak.
Delayed detection, conflict and strained health services have helped the virus spread more rapidly than in past outbreaks, reaching eight of the DRC’s 26 provinces to date.
The virus has spread to neighbouring countries as well.
Last week, Nigeria became the fourth African country to report an Ebola case, extending the outbreak’s geographic spread to West Africa. East African countries Kenya and Uganda have also reported cases.
This year’s Ebola outbreak is the second-largest ever, behind only the 2014-2016 epidemic that infected more than 28,600 people and killed more than 11,000 people across Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
Some governments have been restricting travel to affected countries or quarantining travellers who have recently visited or transited through them.
On Friday, Saudi Arabia suspended travel to and entry from Kenya, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
The measures include suspending travel by Saudi citizens to Kenya and a pause on issuing all types of visas to travellers from the country.
The kingdom is also prohibiting entry to travellers arriving from Kenya, including those transiting through third countries who have stayed in Kenya or other Ebola-affected countries within the previous 21 days.
In June, Saudi Arabia suspended travel to and entry from the DRC, Uganda, and South Sudan.
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