Congo Ebola outbreak tops 10,000 cases as infections spread across Africa
Why it matters: The outbreak has killed 4,887 people and reached Kenya and Nigeria, making it the second-deadliest Ebola epidemic on record.
The Democratic Republic of Congo's Ebola outbreak has passed 10,000 confirmed cases, deepening concern that the epidemic is expanding beyond the country after new infections were reported elsewhere in Africa. Congo's public health institute counted 10,060 cases and 4,887 deaths as of Oct. 25. The outbreak, first declared in mid-May and caused by the Bundibugyo species of Ebola, is now Congo's largest and deadliest Ebola epidemic and the second-largest globally after the 2014-2016 West Africa outbreak. Kenya reported its first case earlier this month and later counted nine in total after a traveler from Congo died in Nairobi. Nigeria also reported a case last week, while Uganda had imported cases in May and June and has tightened quarantine rules for returning travelers from Congo.