Ebola in the Congo: More than 5,000 Ebola deaths in the Congo

Kinshasa. More than 5,000 people have already died from Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

As the health authorities in the Central African country announced, 5,026 people have been proven to have died of the highly dangerous fever since mid-May, and the number of people suffering from Ebola has risen to 10,351. 1,101 people are currently being treated or are in isolation. 2,788 former Ebola patients are considered to have recovered.

The actual number of cases and deaths could be even higher, as experts believe that the disease had been spreading undetected since at least February before the outbreak was officially announced on May 15.

The outbreak, which is caused by the so-called Bundibugyo pathogen, is showing a worryingly rapid increase. There are currently also cases in Kenya that can be traced back to the stay of a Kenyan who has since died in the Congo. West African Nigeria reported its first Ebola case on October 20th. The wife of a Swiss diplomat fell ill a few days after a trip of several weeks to Uganda. So far, one case has occurred in Europe: In June, a doctor tested positive after a crisis mission in eastern Congo in France and was later released from hospital after recovering.

The current outbreak is particularly difficult to contain because there is currently neither a specific vaccine nor a specific therapy for the Bundibugyo-type Ebola pathogen. In addition, in the initial phase of an infection with the Bundibugyo pathogen, it is easy to confuse it with malaria, for example. This can contribute to delayed isolation and treatment of patients.