Congo's authorities said Monday that the Ebola outbreak in the country's east has passed 6,000 confirmed cases and 2,911 deaths, according to figures reported from Bunia by the Associated Press. Reuters, citing the same government data, put the confirmed case count at 6,041. Officials said more than 1,360 people have recovered, a development they called encouraging.
The speed is what makes the number significant. The outbreak was declared on May 15, meaning the toll was reached in roughly three and a half months. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that this outbreak passed 1,000 confirmed cases within 40 days of response activation, while the 2018 outbreak in the same country took about 235 days to reach that mark. Officials now believe the virus had been circulating since February, before anyone was looking for it.
