The Ebola outbreak centred in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has killed 5,376 people, according to figures from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
The DRC accounts for 5,372 of the deaths, while Kenya and Uganda have recorded two each. Around 10,444 people have been infected across the three countries, with the Bundibugyo strain responsible for the outbreak carrying a fatality rate of more than 50 per cent.
The DRC declared its 17th Ebola outbreak in mid-May. It is the country’s largest outbreak, and the virus has crossed national borders several times in recent months.
Uganda recorded 20 cases, almost all among people who had travelled from the DRC, before being declared Ebola-free in August. Kenya reported its first cases in October, with nine infections and two deaths.
In Nigeria, health authorities said two suspected cases in the north-east had tested negative in two rounds of testing. The country reported its first imported case in more than a decade in October, but has recorded no deaths.
A single case was also reported in France in July involving a health worker returning from the DRC.
There are no approved treatments or vaccines specifically targeting the rare Bundibugyo strain. Clinical trials have begun in recent weeks using the Ervebo vaccine, which has been effective against the more common Zaire strain.
