DR Congo Ebola death toll passes 4,000 as outbreak spreads regionally

The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has killed more than 4,000 people, according to government data, as insecurity and strained health services hamper efforts to contain the disease.

Figures released Friday put the death toll at 4,018 and confirmed cases at 8,300 across seven provinces. More than 2,000 patients have recovered. The outbreak, officially declared on May 15, is the country’s largest and deadliest, surpassing the 2018-2020 epidemic.

The United Nations said soldiers searching for weapons burned an Ebola-affected camp near Bunia, the capital of Ituri Province, earlier in the week. The camp included a transit center for infected patients, and the fire forced about 19,000 people to flee.

Weak infrastructure, remote communities, armed conflict and public mistrust have impeded the response. Marie-Celestin Karondwa, a local official from the governing Union for Democracy and Social Progress, was also fatally attacked after participating in a radio program about the epidemic in Butembo, North Kivu.

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said confirmed cases were declining, though insecurity and limited community cooperation may be affecting detection. Kenya reported its first Ebola death Tuesday after a Kenyan national who had lived in DR Congo returned home, becoming the fourth country to record a case in the current outbreak.