DR Congo Ebola outbreak reaches 4,018 deaths

The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Health Ministry reported 4,018 deaths and 8,300 Ebola cases since the outbreak was declared on May 15, as the country continues efforts to contain the disease. The figures, released Thursday or Friday, indicate the outbreak has caused more than 4,000 deaths. Both reports cited the same ministry figures. Save the Children said ministry data showed that at least 2,071 children under 18 had contracted Ebola since May 15, and 961 had died. The organization said about two-thirds of those child deaths, or 623, were among children under five. It also reported a 61% fatality rate among children aged 0 to 4, compared with 48% across all reported cases. The underlying counts and denominators for those rates were not provided in the reports. Save the Children said an average of about seven children had died each day since May 15 and called for stronger protection for young children. Its child figures were attributed to ministry data; they were not separately corroborated in the available reporting. The outbreak has spread across eastern Congo, with cases recorded in seven provinces, according to the ministry figures reported.