Ebola fatality rate in DR Congo tops 50% as death toll reaches 5,372

The death toll from the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has reached 5,372 as of Friday, according to the latest official report. The new data released on Sunday also said the outbreak has a case fatality rate of 51.6%. It means that over half of the people diagnosed with Ebola die from the disease. The significant increase in reported death is not due to a single-day surge. But to a retrospective adjustment of data between the local data processing team and the Ituri province outbreak management team. The situation report from the DRC's National Institute of Biomedical Research showed that the country had recorded over 10,000 confirmed Ebola cases. The latest outbreak is caused by the Pondibugyo strain and was declared in mid-May, catching authorities by surprise. They have since struggled to manage it. According to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 80% of new cases are coming from outside the chain of monitored contacts. Cases have also been recorded in Uganda, Kenya and Nigeria.