Congo Ebola outbreak tops 5,000 cases, with 2,378 dead
Why it matters: The Bundibugyo strain has no approved vaccine or treatment, and WHO warns the risk of wider spread remains high.
Congo's latest Ebola outbreak has passed 5,000 confirmed cases, becoming the country's largest on record and the world's second-worst epidemic of the disease. Health Ministry data showed 5,021 cases and 2,378 deaths as of Sunday after the outbreak, declared May 15, accelerated in eastern Congo. Officials and aid workers say the response is struggling against insecurity, displacement, community resistance and strikes by unpaid health staff. The outbreak is driven by the Bundibugyo species of Ebola, for which no approved vaccines or treatments exist. Ituri province has been hit hardest, and violence has disrupted response work, including an attack in Aru that burned an ambulance and damaged two other vehicles.