Ebola spreads to sixth province in DR Congo, raising fears for Kinshasa

The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is spreading at a record pace, reaching a sixth province and raising fears it could reach the capital, Kinshasa, home to 19 million people. The virus has already claimed 2,000 lives, with more than 4,300 cases recorded. The outbreak is driven by the rare Bundibugyo strain, for which no vaccine or treatment is approved, and WHO warns it could surpass the 2014-2016 West African epidemic that killed 11,000. The epicenter is Ituri province, plagued by insecurity, with cases also in North and South Kivu, where authorities have lost control to M23 rebels. Kinshasa hospitals have prepared 20 beds, expandable to 250, but WHO says thousands would be needed in a worst-case scenario. Contact tracing is at 80%, below the 95% needed to break transmission chains, and many infections originate from funerals.