The death toll from the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has surpassed 5,000, according to government figures released on Friday. Officials continue to struggle to gain control over the country’s deadliest recorded outbreak of the virus.
Lack of Vaccines Accelerates Spread
More than 10,000 people have been infected in the DRC since the outbreak was first declared in May. Containing the disease has proved exceptionally difficult because it is driven by the rare Bundibugyo strain, for which no approved vaccines or medical treatments currently exist.
Factors including delayed initial detection, ongoing conflict, and overburdened healthcare facilities have enabled the virus to propagate more rapidly than in previous outbreaks. As a result, infections have now been confirmed across eight of the country’s 26 provinces.
Cross-Border Cases and International Restrictions
The virus has also crossed international borders. Last week, Nigeria reported its first Ebola case, expanding the outbreak’s reach to West Africa. East African nations Uganda and Kenya have also recorded cases, making Nigeria the fourth African country affected by the current surge.
This outbreak has become the second-largest Ebola epidemic in history. It is surpassed only by the 2014 to 2016 outbreak in West Africa, which infected more than 28,600 people and caused over 11,000 deaths across Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.
To prevent further transmission, several foreign governments have introduced border controls and quarantine mandates. On Friday, the Saudi Press Agency reported that Saudi Arabia suspended travel to and entry from Kenya, halting all visa issuances and denying entry to visitors who have stayed in or transited through Kenya or any Ebola-affected country within the past 21 days. Saudi authorities had previously banned travel to and from the DRC, Uganda, and South Sudan in June.
