More than 4,000 people have died of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo, about four and a half months after the outbreak was declared in May. Nearly half of all confirmed patients have died, putting the fatality rate above 48%.
As of the 30th of last month, Congo had recorded 8,300 cumulative confirmed Ebola cases, according to the country's health authorities and news agencies including The Associated Press and Reuters on the 2nd. Of those, 4,018 people have died, for a fatality rate of 48.4%. A total of 2,162 patients have recovered.
Congo's government said on the 2nd of last month that cumulative deaths had passed 3,000, meaning the toll rose by more than 1,000 in a month.
The actual scale of the damage may be larger than the official count, however. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said the pace of new confirmed cases has slowed recently, but added that it is unclear whether infections themselves have declined or whether case counting has broken down in some areas because of insecurity and a lack of cooperation from residents.
Doctors Without Borders also pointed to gaps in surveillance and case detection, saying the real number of infections and deaths could exceed official statistics.
Public distrust of health authorities has become another obstacle to containing the outbreak. In areas where infections are concentrated, medical workers and public health officials have come under attack.
On the 27th of last month, Marie Celestin Karondwa, a local official of the ruling Union for Democracy and Social Progress, was killed in an attack by assailants in Butembo, North Kivu province. The official was attacked after appearing on a radio broadcast, and the party said the attack followed the promotion of Ebola prevention measures and a defense of the party's position on the outbreak. The exact motive and the identity of the attackers have not been confirmed.
The current outbreak was officially declared in Congo on May 15. The cause is the Bundibugyo ebolavirus, and it is the 17th Ebola outbreak in the country. The World Health Organization that same day declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern over the Ebola outbreaks in Congo and Uganda.
Ebola has since spread to seven provinces in Congo. According to the WHO, infections had been confirmed in 63 health zones as of the 23rd of last month, indicating continued geographic spread.
