Congo Ebola Hits 60 Zones, 2,786 Dead

The fastest-growing Ebola outbreak in history spread to two more health zones in eastern Congo, bringing the total to 60 affected areas, according to Congolese government figures published Friday.

The Health Ministry says the outbreak has recorded 5,794 confirmed cases and 2,786 deaths, with an overall case fatality rate of 48%.

The two new zones are Biena and Manguredjipa in North Kivu province, where the fatality rate is much higher than the national figure — in part because the response arrived late, the ministry said.

The World Health Organization says the outbreak remains out of control and is on track to surpass the 2014-2016 West Africa outbreak, the deadliest on record, which killed more than 11,000 people in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

Why It Is Hard to Stop

The virus driving this outbreak is Bundibugyo, a rare type of Ebola with no approved vaccine and no approved treatment. Clinical trials of candidate vaccines and treatments have begun in the region.

On Thursday, Congo began vaccinating health workers and other front-line staff with Ervebo, a vaccine that worked in past outbreaks caused by the more common Zaire type of the virus.

The outbreak is spreading amid insecurity, mass displacement, a health workers' strike and heavy population movement. Most cases and deaths are occurring outside the network of monitored contacts — inside communities, where trackers are not looking.

Northeastern Ituri province accounts for more than 83% of cases, according to the latest government figures. Ituri has also been ravaged by rebel violence.

Schools Are the Next Fight

Schools across Congo are set to reopen Sept. 1, and parents and teachers in Ituri — the epicenter — are asking the government to delay it.

Children aged 4 and under have the highest case fatality rate of any age group in this outbreak, at 60%, according to available health data.

"We want to resume classes, but not at the cost of our lives," Fazila Rebecca, a teacher in Ituri's capital of Bunia, told the Associated Press. "As long as the disease is circulating and protective measures remain inadequate, returning to the classroom means taking a risk we cannot ignore."

The Ituri teachers union met Tuesday in Bunia to press authorities to assess the outbreak first. "We are not opposed to the resumption of classes, but we believe that the health and safety of teachers and students must be a priority," union representative Budju Lobo Isaac said.

Authorities in Ituri did not immediately respond to an AP request for comment.