Ebola death rate tops 50% as hundreds of deaths add to Congo toll | Today’s news

(Bloomberg) — The death toll among confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo has climbed above 50% after health authorities added hundreds of previously unattributed victims to the official toll.

The outbreak has caused 10,414 confirmed infections and 5,372 deaths, giving a reported case fatality rate of 51.6%, the National Institute of Public Health said in its latest report released on Saturday.

A review of records in 97% of affected health zones in Ituri, the epicenter of the outbreak, resulted in 314 earlier Ebola deaths being added to the province’s cumulative toll, health officials said.

The adjustment raised the reported fatality rate from 48.6% two days earlier, even as the number of confirmed infections rose by just 140.

The revision comes as health authorities continue to report dozens of new infections a day from the outbreak, which has spread to eight provinces and 67 health zones. It is the largest Ebola outbreak in Congo’s history and the largest worldwide since the 2013-2016 outbreak in West Africa.

The outbreak has also spread outside the country, although transmission elsewhere remains limited. Nigeria said on Saturday that two suspected cases in Adamawa state had tested negative after two rounds of tests, leaving the country with one confirmed infection.

The U.S. said Sunday it would further tighten travel restrictions in response to the outbreak: Starting late Tuesday, anyone boarding an international flight to the U.S. must certify that they have not been to the Democratic Republic of Congo in the previous 21 days, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Passengers who were in the country during this period will generally not be allowed to board US-bound commercial flights.

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