Daijiworld Media Network - Kinshasa

Kinshasa, Nov 11: The number of confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has reached 11,042, with at least 5,387 deaths, according to government data released on Tuesday.

Health authorities are struggling to contain what is being described as the largest and deadliest Ebola outbreak in the country's history.

The outbreak is caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus. It has become the second-largest and second-deadliest Ebola outbreak on record, behind only the 2014-2016 epidemic in West Africa, which infected more than 28,600 people and claimed over 11,000 lives.

Eight of the DRC's 26 provinces have been affected by the ongoing outbreak, with many deaths reported outside treatment centres.

Delayed detection, armed conflict and overstretched health services have contributed to the virus spreading more rapidly than in previous outbreaks.

Efforts to contain the disease have been particularly challenging as no vaccine or treatment has been developed specifically for the Bundibugyo strain, which kills approximately half of those infected.

Earlier this month, the World Health Organization approved clinical trials of two new Ebola vaccines and said results were expected in early 2027.

Cases have now been reported across East, Central and West Africa, giving the outbreak the widest geographical spread of any Ebola outbreak on the continent to date.