Ebola Cases Surpass 7,000

Authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo announced that the number of Ebola virus cases has surpassed 7,000, marking the worst outbreak of the disease in the country’s history.

The virus is believed to have spread for weeks before it was detected. The Democratic Republic of the Congo officially reported the latest outbreak in mid-May, with the epidemic—the seventeenth of its kind—claiming the lives of approximately 3,400 people.

Most cases are concentrated in Ituri Province, where Ebola infections were identified in schools following the summer break, raising concerns among parents and health workers.

Angèle Magani, a mother of a student in Bunia, the capital of Ituri Province, told Agence France-Presse (AFP): “We are very scared, even though school officials reassure us that health measures are being implemented.”

Roger Mongimbo, an official at a school in Bunia, told AFP: “There is a mandatory handwashing system with soap, and we have done our utmost to ensure that no more than 30 students are in a single classroom.”