The number of Ebola cases in Congo has exceeded 11,000.

The number of confirmed cases of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo has exceeded 11,000, according to government data.

“According to available data, the total number of confirmed cases of infection reached 11,042, with 5,387 people dying,” the publication said.

The virus has spread to eight of the country's 26 provinces. Many people died outside of specialized treatment centers. The spread of the infection contributed to the late detection of cases of infection, armed conflicts and a high burden on the health system, reports Reuters.

According to the agency, the current outbreak is the second in the number of cases and deaths in the history of observations. In terms of scale, it is second only to the epidemic in West Africa in 2014-2016, when more than 28.6 thousand people became infected, and the death toll exceeded 11,000. At the same time, the current outbreak has covered the most extensive area of all Ebola epidemics on the African continent.

Ebola (Ebolavirus infection, a disease caused by the Ebola virus) is an acute and highly contagious infectious disease caused by ortoebolaviruses from the filovirus family (Filoviridae).

The virus infects humans, some primates and domestic pigs, and is found mainly in tropical regions of sub-Saharan Africa. Mortality varies between 25-90%, on average, infection leads to death in 50% of cases.

In May this year, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a state of emergency of international importance due to the outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. It is caused by the Bundibuggio virus, for which there is no approved vaccine or specific treatment.

The outbreak in DR Congo began long before the official announcement of the authorities. According to the journal Science, researchers who interviewed about 100 residents of the city of Mongbwalu, found that the first cases of infection appeared there in January. By mid-May, the virus was already widespread, with scientists identifying more than 500 suspected cases between mid-January and mid-May.

Bundibuggio virus is a type of virus of the genus ortoebolaviruses that cause Ebola hemorrhagic fever. It was first identified in 2007 during an outbreak in Bundibuggio County in western Uganda. The virus is transmitted by direct contact with the blood and other bodily fluids of an infected person or animal.