NUMBER OF EBOLA CASES EXCEEDS 9,000

KINSHASA, OCTOBER 14 /SRNA/ – Laboratory tests have confirmed 9,144 Ebola infections and 4,410 deaths during the current outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the country's health authorities announced.

Africa's disease control and prevention centres have described the outbreak, which began in mid-May, as the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak in history.

Earlier this month, the first case of infection with the highly contagious Bundibugyo virus strain was confirmed in Kenya. The patient, who has since died, contracted the infection in the Congo, travelled overland to neighbouring Uganda, and then flew to Kenya.

Kenyan health authorities are tracing everyone the man came into contact with during his journey.

The current outbreak has been particularly difficult to contain because there is currently no specific vaccine or targeted treatment for the Bundibugyo strain, the DPA news agency reported.

Furthermore, infections caused by this strain can easily be confused with other diseases, such as malaria, in their early stages. This can lead to delays in isolating and treating patients.