Ebola Death Toll in Congo Passes 5,300, With More Than 10,000 Infected

The death toll from the ongoing Ebola outbreak in Africa has surpassed 5,300. According to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), most of those who died were in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Figures released by the Africa CDC on Monday put the total deaths from the outbreak at 5,376 so far. Of those, 5,372 died in the DRC, while two each died in Kenya and Uganda.

The DRC is the epicentre of the outbreak. The country declared its 17th Ebola outbreak in mid-May, the largest in its history.

The Bundibugyo strain of the virus is responsible for the current outbreak. It has infected about 10,444 people across the DRC, Uganda and Kenya, with a death rate of more than 50 percent.

The virus has crossed borders several times in recent months. Neighbouring Uganda recorded 20 cases, almost all involving people who had travelled from the DRC, before the country was declared Ebola-free in August.

Kenya recorded two deaths and nine infections in October, marking the first recorded cases of Ebola in that country.

In Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, health authorities said two rounds of testing of two suspected cases in the northeast region confirmed the samples were negative. Abuja reported its first imported case in October, the first in more than a decade, and it has no recorded deaths.

A single case linked to this strain was also reported in Europe. In France, one case involving a health worker returning from the DRC was reported in July.

There are no approved treatments or vaccines to combat the rare Bundibugyo strain.

In recent weeks, clinical trials have begun with the Ervebo vaccine, which has proved effective against the more common Zaire strain.