Ebola has now killed more than 1,000 people in the Democratic Republic ‌of Congo, official figures show, as medics struggle to contain an outbreak amid militant violence, attacks on clinics and widespread shortages. The number of confirmed Ebola cases has increased to 2,536, Congo’s public health ​institute said late on Wednesday. The number of deaths has passed the ​1,000 mark to reach 1,033, it added. The Ebola outbreak, Congo’s 17th, was ⁠declared in mid-May but experts believe infections started circulating weeks earlier.
It is caused by ​the rare Bundibugyo strain, which has a fatality rate of up to 40%. There is ​no approved vaccine. Health officials have had to contend with insecurity across eastern Congo, the epicentre of the outbreak, where dozens of armed groups operate. There have been shortages of basic supplies and attacks on health ​facilities by local people. Some bereaved relatives have been angered by health restrictions ​preventing them from burying their loved ones.

Full report : Congo’s Ebola deaths top 1,000 as violence and shortages hamper medics.