Ebola death toll in DR Congo passes 5,000
Authorities are struggling to find a way to control the outbreak, with no approved treatments or vaccines.
Key points
- Ebola deaths in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have passed 5,000, government data show.
- More than 10,000 people have been infected since the outbreak was declared in May.
- Saudi Arabia suspended travel to and entry from Kenya on Friday over Ebola concerns.
The Ebola death toll in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has passed 5,000, according to government data, as authorities have not found a way to control the country's deadliest recorded outbreak of the virus. More than 10,000 people have been infected since the outbreak was declared in May.
There are no approved treatments or vaccines for the rare Bundibugyo strain behind the outbreak. Delayed detection, conflict and strained health services have helped the virus spread faster than in past outbreaks, and it has reached eight of the DRC's 26 provinces.
Spread beyond the DRC
The virus has also spread to neighbouring countries. Last week Nigeria became the fourth African country to report an Ebola case, extending the outbreak to West Africa, and Kenya and Uganda have also reported cases.
This year's outbreak is the second-largest ever, behind only the 2014-2016 epidemic, which infected more than 28,600 people and killed more than 11,000 across Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
The death toll from Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has surpassed 5,000
— Al Jazeera
Travel restrictions
Some governments have restricted travel to affected countries or quarantined travellers who recently visited or transited through them. On Friday, Saudi Arabia suspended travel to and entry from Kenya, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The measures include suspending travel by Saudi citizens to Kenya and pausing all visa types for travellers from the country. The kingdom is also barring entry to travellers arriving from Kenya, including those who stayed in Kenya or other Ebola-affected countries within the previous 21 days. In June, Saudi Arabia suspended travel to and entry from the DRC, Uganda and South Sudan.
