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DRC Ebola Outbreak Surpasses 10,000 Cases

Updated 12:06 PM ET · 1:16 PM ETConfirmed

Health Desk

In Short: The Democratic Republic of Congo's Ebola outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo virus, has surpassed 10,000 confirmed cases and nearly 5,000 deaths.

The Democratic Republic of Congo's Ebola outbreak, declared on May 15, has surpassed 10,000 confirmed cases and nearly 5,000 deaths, according to government data released on Tuesday.

The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a rare strain for which no vaccine or treatment has been approved, has a fatality rate of 48.6 percent.

Cases have been recorded in 66 health zones across eight provinces, up from just three in the first days of the outbreak.

Nearly half of the 10,060 confirmed cases have resulted in death, according to data from the DRC’s Ministry of Public Health.

The outbreak is the fastest-growing in the country’s history and is the second-largest and second-deadliest on record, trailing only the 2014-2016 West African epidemic, which saw 28,600 infected and more than 11,000 dead within two years.

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has said at least 95 percent of cases must come from the known contacts of infected people for the outbreak to be considered under control.

However, about 80 percent of new cases are coming from outside the chains of transmission that health authorities are monitoring, indicating a significant challenge in controlling the spread.

Cases have also been reported in Kenya, Uganda, and Nigeria, with Kenya and Nigeria confirming their first infections earlier in October.

The outbreak in the eastern province of Ituri remains the epicenter, accounting for 80.2% of cumulative confirmed cases.

Thomas-Canfield, a health official, noted, “That's a really long time for things to be undetected in communities, and that means we started at a disadvantage.”

What this adds

Background

What's confirmed

• The outbreak, declared on May 15, is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a rare Ebola strain for which no vaccine or treatment has been approved.
• NEW YORK (AP) — Pennsylvania has surpassed 1,000 measles cases this year, state health officials said Monday, making it the largest state outbreak in more than three decades.
• The nation eliminated the domestic spread of measles in 2000 by maintaining high vaccination rates, but those rates have fallen in recent years to below the 95% coverage needed to prevent outbreaks.
• The U.S. is enduring its worst year for measles since 1991, with nearly 3,900 reported cases, according to the CDC.
• There have been 1,004 cases, including 198 hospitalizations and five deaths, state officials said.

What's still developing

• The country’s officials have said there are no active infections in the country after recording 20 cases – mostly imported from the DRC – and two deaths over the summer.
• By comparison, the 2018 DRC outbreak took approximately 235 days to pass the same mark.
• Earlier on this story 19 Oct: DR Congo Ebola Outbreak Spreads To Nord-Ubangi, Kenya Cases Reach Eight Technology and Science 27 October, 2026 3 min read This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets.
• Previous outbreaks have recorded fatality rates ranging from 25 to 90 percent.
• Pennsylvania reported 106 new measles cases in the past week, totaling 1,004 this year.
• Chester County, the only county in the Philadelphia region where the virus is spreading, reported 84 cases as of Monday, one more than last week.
• Since the beginning of last year, large outbreaks have been reported in several states, including Texas and Utah, as well as South Carolina, which had the largest with 997 cases reported.
• The governor of New York on Monday declared a disaster emergency because of measles cases in neighboring states and in rural areas of New York.

Sources

• Al Jazeeralink
• Contagion Livelink
• NPRlink
• NewsCordlink
• The Copenhagen Postlink
• Washingtonexaminerlink
• Afrolink
• Saharareporterslink
• Dailyjournallink
• Inquirerlink
• Trtworldlink
• Redbluffdailynewslink
• Huffpostlink
• WarpBeat — background on Congo's Ebola Outbreak Surpasses 10,000 Cases link
• WarpBeat — background on Congo Ebola Outbreak Reaches 10,000 Cases link
• The Sunday Guardian — video link