Ebola Spreads Beyond Congo: Nearly 10,000 Cases, New Infections in Kenya and Nigeria

A fast-growing Ebola outbreak in Congo has now crossed into Kenya and reached Nigeria by air. US travel restrictions are already in place. Here is what Americans need to know.

By Clara Hughes

An Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has grown to nearly 10,000 confirmed cases and has now spread to two more African countries, European health officials reported this week. As of October 24, the DRC had reported 9,964 confirmed cases and 4,851 deaths, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). The outbreak has reached eight Congolese provinces: Ituri, Nord-Kivu, Sud-Kivu, Tshopo, Haut-Uélé, Bas-Uélé, Sud-Ubangi and Nord-Ubangi. The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, one of the viruses that cause Ebola disease. There is no approved vaccine or treatment for Bundibugyo virus disease, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Earlier outbreaks of the virus occurred in Uganda in 2007 and in the DRC in 2012. Kenya: a cluster from one traveler Kenya has now confirmed nine