Doctors in Congo are treating 10,351 Ebola patients without a vaccine or known treatment as the death toll hits 5,026

Doctors in Congo are now treating 10,351 Ebola patients as the death toll from the current outbreak has passed 5,000. As reported by UNILAD, the Congolese Ministry of Health says 5,026 people have died, putting the lethality rate at nearly 50 percent.

The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo virus, is now the second deadliest Ebola outbreak in history. It is surpassed only by the 2014 to 2016 West Africa outbreak, which claimed 11,000 lives.

Concerns are rising about the authorities’ ability to contain the virus, which has continued to spread since the outbreak was declared in May. Dr. Patrick Otim, a program manager for the World Health Organization, described the “very tragic milestone” as “just not a number,” adding, “It is families and communities that have been devastated by this outbreak.”

There is still nothing specifically built to fight this strain

There is no known specific treatment or vaccine for the Bundibugyo virus, so healthcare workers in Congo have been treating patients based on their symptoms. So far, 2,788 people have recovered from the disease.

The Bundibugyo virus is one of four Ebola virus species known to make humans sick. According to the WHO, early symptoms include a sudden fever, headache, extreme tiredness and weakness, muscle and joint pain, a sore throat, loss of appetite, and chills.

As the illness worsens, patients can experience severe diarrhea, persistent vomiting, abdominal pain, skin rashes, chest pain, difficulty breathing, and confusion. In the most serious cases, complications can include bleeding from the nose or gums, blood in vomit or stools, organ failure, or shock.

Since the outbreak was declared in May, Ebola has spread to 67 of the country’s 178 health zones across eight of its 26 provinces. Of those 67 affected health zones, 50 still have active cases. The WHO previously declared a global health emergency over the outbreak.

The spread has largely been attributed to authorities struggling to trace and test known contacts. The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said around eight in 10 new cases are emerging outside the chain of monitored contacts.