Ebola outbreak kills more than 5,000 people in Democratic Republic of Congo

More than 5,000 people have now died from an Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), according to government data.

Around 10,000 people have been infected since May, making it the biggest-ever outbreak of the disease in DRC.

The number of deaths has increased by about 1,000 since the start of October.

There are so far no approved treatments or vaccines for the rare Bundibugyo species responsible for the outbreak.

Fears have been growing over the epidemic spreading to nearby countries. Nigeria last week became the fourth African nation to record a case after DRC, Kenya and Uganda.

Eight of DRC's 26 provinces have recorded cases, but the response has been blighted by a series of attacks on health workers.

A nurse was killed and another health worker was injured last week by a group of young people with machetes and batons.

Misinformation has been blamed for the attacks, and authorities said the attackers had accused the pair of spreading ⁠the disease by contaminating water sources.

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The house of another community worker raising awareness about Ebola was set on fire last week, officials said, while a politician was beaten to death last month for defending measures in dealing with the outbreak.

The DRC outbreak is now also the world's second-largest ever; only behind the 11,000 who died and 28,000 infected between 2014-2016 in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

(c) Sky News 2026: Ebola outbreak kills more than 5,000 people in Democratic Republic of Congo