DR Congo Ebola Death Toll Passes 1,000

More than 1,000 people have died in the Democratic Republic of Congo's Ebola outbreak, according to the country's public health authorities, with 2,536 confirmed cases reported since the epidemic was declared in May. The outbreak is caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, for which there are currently no approved vaccines or treatments. While Ebola is spread through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person rather than through the air, health officials say the outbreak has expanded more rapidly than any previous Ebola epidemic on record.

Most infections have been concentrated in the country's eastern provinces, where armed conflict, attacks on health facilities, population displacement and public mistrust have hampered disease surveillance and treatment efforts. Health workers continue to face difficulties tracing contacts of infected people, isolating new cases and delivering medical supplies to affected communities. Uganda, which reported cross-border infections earlier in the outbreak, has not identified any new cases since late June and has begun the countdown required before it can declare the outbreak over within its borders.