Congo Ebola outbreak claims nearly half of infected as cases cross 11,000

Six months after an Ebola outbreak was declared in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the disease continues to spread, with more than 11,000 cases recorded and nearly half of those infected dying, according to government data.The outbreak is the deadliest among the 17 recorded in Congo and is on track to exceed the death toll of the West African Ebola epidemic, which killed around 11,000 people between 2014 and 2016.Efforts to contain the virus have struggled, with basic public health measures such as contact tracing and isolation remaining inadequate.

Experts cited by the news agency Associated Press (AP) said there was little chance of bringing the outbreak under control within the next year.By the time the outbreak was officially announced in mid-May, 43 deaths had already been recorded, indicating that the virus had been circulating undetected for an extended period.