More than 5,000 die from Ebola in DR Congo's deadliest outbreak

More than 5,000 people have died from an ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, government data shows.

Eight of 26 provinces are now affected, with more than 10,300 confirmed cases.

The outbreak, which started in May, became the country's deadliest in its history in August, public health officials said. The current case fatality rate is 48.6%.

In its latest update, the health ministry said the epicentre of the epidemic remains in the Ituri province, in the north-east of the country, which is a conflict zone, making it harder to contain the virus.

Cases have also been confirmed in Kenya, Nigeria and Uganda.

This marks the 17th outbreak in DR Congo's history, according to the United Nations (UN), and the second largest in history.

The World Health Organization (WHO) office in Africa said a "continued scale-up of key control measures, greater access to affected areas, and community outreach" is needed to end the outbreak.

Testing and treatment is under way, along with clinical trials of vaccines, it added.

Kaynak: BBC News World RSS (Açık Basın / Haber Servisi)