The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has passed 7,000 confirmed cases, with deaths nearing 3,400, according to news.cgtn.com. The figures mark one of the largest Ebola outbreaks recorded in the country.
The virus has now reached a seventh Congolese province after a patient made a long-distance trip, Moneyweb reports. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, the continent's leading public health body, has warned that the outbreak is spreading quickly beyond its original epicenter, according to TimesLIVE.
The scale of the epidemic has prompted comparisons with the worst Ebola outbreaks in history. IOL reports that the current outbreak could become the deadliest on record and outlines measures that could help bring it to an end.
Health authorities have not yet said publicly what is driving the continued spread, and the reporting available does not specify which provinces are affected or what response measures are currently in place. The movement of infected people across long distances is a particular concern because it can seed new transmission chains far from where the outbreak began.
What to watch next: whether the case count continues to climb in the newly affected province, and what containment steps the Africa CDC and Congolese health authorities announce in response.
