DR Congo Ebola outbreak kills more than 5,000 as cases spread to three neighbours

More than 5,000 people have died in an ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, government health data shows, making it the deadliest in the country's history.

The outbreak, which began in May, became the country's deadliest on record in August and had by the latest health ministry update spread to eight of DR Congo's 26 provinces. More than 10,300 cases have been confirmed, with a case fatality rate of 48.6%. The epicentre remains Ituri province in the north-east, a conflict zone that complicates containment efforts.

This is the 17th Ebola outbreak in DR Congo's history, according to the United Nations, and the second largest in history overall. The Bundibugyo species is responsible; no approved treatment or vaccine exists for this strain. Testing, treatment and clinical vaccine trials are under way.

Cases have also been confirmed in Kenya, Nigeria and Uganda. Kenya has recorded nine confirmed cases and two deaths. One case was confirmed in Nigeria, with that patient flown to Switzerland for further treatment. No cases have been reported in Uganda since August, though travel restrictions from DR Congo remain in place.

The WHO office in Africa called for continued scale-up of control measures, greater access to affected areas and expanded community outreach.

Violence has hampered the response. A nurse was killed and another health worker seriously injured earlier this week when local youths accused responders of contaminating water sources, according to UN-backed Radio Okapi. Last month a politician was beaten to death after promoting anti-Ebola measures; the Red Cross reported 11 violent incidents — including an ambulance set on fire — in the outbreak's first 100 days.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control assessed the likelihood of infection in the Europe area as "very low."