Ebola cases in DR Congo top 5,000, deaths reach 2,320

The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has surpassed 5,000 confirmed cases and caused more than 2,320 deaths, according to CDC Africa data as of Monday, Aug. 17. Transmission has been recorded in six provinces: Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uele, Bas-Uele and Tshopo. The agency said the outbreak, declared on May 15, has become the deadliest in DR Congo's history and its fastest-growing, with a fatality rate close to 50 percent. CDC Africa warned that the Ebola Bundibugyo outbreak is now claiming one life every 30 minutes and could become the deadliest ever recorded globally. Uganda, which ended a Bundibugyo outbreak on July 28, was cited as evidence that the virus can still be controlled through a rapid, community-based public health response.