Congo Ebola outbreak reaches 11,042 cases and 5,387 deaths

Government data reported for November 10 and 11 show that the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Ebola outbreak has reached 11,042 confirmed infections and 5,387 deaths, about six months after it was declared in mid-May. The figures were reported by Congolese authorities and have not been independently confirmed in the reporting available here.

The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo species of Ebola, according to the report. Eight of Congo’s 26 provinces have recorded cases. The number of infections that may be going undetected is unknown, as is the latest distribution of cases between North Kivu and Ituri, two eastern provinces.

The World Health Organization reported 6,757 confirmed cases and 3,267 deaths in Congo as of September 7. That earlier update came from a different source than the government figures reported in November, so the totals do not establish a directly comparable series. The November figures nevertheless indicate the scale of the outbreak as reported by Congolese authorities.

The outbreak is described as the second-largest on record and second-deadliest by reported totals, behind the 2014-16 Ebola epidemic in West Africa. That epidemic infected more than 28,600...