Ebola death toll in DR Congo reaches 4,561 as cases in Kenya rise to eight
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has reported 4,561 deaths from Ebola out of 9,455 confirmed cases, while the number of infections in Kenya has risen to eight, Qazinform News Agency cites WAM.
According to the DRC Ministry of Health, the figures were recorded as of October 17, with the case fatality rate standing at 48.2%.
In Kenya, health authorities confirmed a new infection in a man believed to have been exposed to the country’s first Ebola patient, Director-General for Health Patrick Amoth said.
Amoth reported that 38 people had been tested, with one returning a positive result, with contact tracing efforts in place.
Kenya confirmed its first case of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola earlier this month. The patient, who had traveled from the Democratic Republic of the Congo through Uganda, later died.
The outbreak has raised concerns across the region, particularly because no approved vaccine or specific treatment is available for the Bundibugyo strain.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has warned of the risk of the virus spreading to neighboring countries.
Earlier, Qazinform reported the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) had spread to an eighth province after new cases were confirmed in Nord-Ubangi Province in the north of the country.