DR Congo Ebola Deaths Pass 5,000; Saudi Arabia Restricts Kenya Travel
The outbreak has reached eight of the DRC's 26 provinces and spread to Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda and other countries.
By Robert Marshall ·
Ebola deaths in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have passed 5,000.
Government data released Friday put the toll above 5,000, and infections above 10,000, since the outbreak was declared in May. It is the country's deadliest recorded Ebola outbreak. The Bundibugyo strain behind it has no approved treatments or vaccines.
Delayed detection, conflict and strained health services have pushed the virus into eight of the DRC's 26 provinces. The disease has also crossed borders: Nigeria last week became the fourth African country to report a case, and Kenya and Uganda have reported cases as well. Some governments have since limited travel. Saudi Arabia on Friday suspended travel to and from Kenya, halted visa issuance for travelers from that country, and barred entry to anyone who has spent any of the previous 21 days in Kenya or another affected country, including those transiting through third countries.
Saudi Arabia took similar steps in June against the DRC, Uganda and South Sudan. The current outbreak is the second-largest on record, after the 2014-2016 epidemic that infected more than 28,600 people and killed more than 11,000 across Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
