At least 34 people have died in the latest outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in the central African country since August. The announcement comes from the head of the national health institute INSP, Dieudonne Mwamba Kazadi, who announced that the outbreak is now over.
Despite successes in developing vaccines and medicine against the so-called hemorrhagic fever, the virus is estimated to have caused over 15,000 deaths over the past half century.
Congo-Kinshasa was hit hard in 2018–2020, with around 2,300 people dying out of the 3,500 confirmed to have been infected.
Dieudonne Mwamba Kazadi says 53 cases have been confirmed in the latest outbreak – and that a further 11 deaths are believed to have been caused by the virus. The latest outbreak had its geographical origin in the province of Kasaï.
The virus is spread from infected animals to humans. The infection is also spread between people through direct contact or through bodily fluids.
The Ebola virus was identified in 1976.
