Congo Ebola Outbreak Second-Biggest Ever as Affected Reach 426

(Bloomberg) -- The number of confirmed and probable cases of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo has risen to 426, making it the second-biggest outbreak of the virus in history, according to data released by the health ministry.

The disease is believed to have killed 245 people in North Kivu and Ituri provinces, where health officials are facing “physical and verbal abuse” as armed groups and community resistance hamper authorities’ response, the ministry said in an emailed statement on Thursday.

It is the worst occurrence of the illness since more than 11,000 people died in West Africa between 2014 and 2016, according to data of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

There have been 10 Ebola outbreaks in Congo since the virus was discovered there in 1976. It spreads through contact with bodily fluids and causes hemorrhagic fever, severe vomiting, diarrhea and bleeding, and is often fatal.

To contact the reporter on this story: William Clowes in Kinshasa at wclowes@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Antony Sguazzin at asguazzin@bloomberg.net, Andre Janse van Vuuren

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