The Democratic Republic of the Congo has reported 9,704 confirmed cases and 4,687 deaths in its Ebola outbreak, according to data compiled by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control up to 21 October.
Eight provinces have been affected: Ituri, Nord-Kivu, Sud-Kivu, Tshopo, Haut-Uele, Bas-Uele, Sud Ubangi and Nord Ubangi. About 48% of confirmed cases have ended in death.
A virus with no licensed vaccine
The outbreak is caused by Bundibugyo virus, one of the Ebola species. No vaccine or specific treatment is licensed for it, unlike the Zaire ebolavirus vaccines used in earlier outbreaks in West Africa and eastern Congo. Care is built on early supportive treatment, rehydration and intensive monitoring.
That gap makes detection and isolation more important. Patients who reach a treatment centre early do better, but in remote areas of eastern Congo the journey can take days.
Cases outside Congo
On 20 October, Nigeria reported a case in a person with travel history to Uganda. The patient developed symptoms on 7 October, sought care on 11 October and tested positive on 20 October. Authorities identified 44 contacts and are continuing investigations.
Kenya confirmed one imported case and one death on 6 October. The patient had travelled by road to Kampala and then flown to Nairobi, according to the World Health Organization, which is supporting the response. No new cases have been confirmed in Kenya since.
Europe's risk stays low
ECDC said the risk to the general population in the European Union and European Economic Area remains very low after a fourth imported case was detected on the continent on 1 October. The agency has deployed experts to Congo and is tracking the outbreak with partners.
Health agencies have asked countries with direct flights from affected regions to screen travellers and to brief clinicians on early symptoms: fever, fatigue, muscle pain, headache and sore throat, followed by vomiting, diarrhoea and in some cases bleeding.
Eastern Congo combines dense population movement, limited health infrastructure and armed conflict in some districts, which slows contact tracing and delays cases reaching care.