Ebola Outbreak Surpasses 10,000 Cases in Africa

According to official figures, 10,060 people have contracted the virus and 4,887 have died since the outbreak was first detected in May. The epidemic has become the deadliest Ebola outbreak in the DRC’s history.

Cases have also been reported in Kenya, Nigeria and Uganda, prompting the World Health Organization  (WHO) to warn that containing the outbreak across eastern, western and central Africa remains a complex challenge.

The response has been further complicated by the absence of approved vaccines or specific treatments for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola responsible for the outbreak.

Neighbouring Uganda, which recorded 20 cases and two deaths, was declared Ebola-free by the WHO in late August. Kenya, which had reported no cases before October 6, has since recorded two deaths linked to the virus.

Nigeria has confirmed one case involving a Swiss woman who contracted the virus after travelling to Uganda with her husband. She was evacuated to Switzerland on Monday.

Nigerian health authorities have identified 53 people who had contact with the patient as part of efforts to prevent further transmission in Africa’s most populous country.

Health experts have expressed concern that the virus may have spread after the couple returned to Nigeria on October 3. Ebola is transmitted through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person.

The WHO said the woman developed symptoms on October 7 and sought medical care in Abuja on October 11. She subsequently tested positive for the Bundibugyo strain on October 20.