Congo’s Ebola cases surpass 11,000, government data show

Confirmed infections now total 11,042, and 5,387 people have died, the data showed

The outbreak, caused by the rare Bundibugyo species of the Ebola virus, was declared in mid-May. There are no approved treatments or vaccines for this species

It is the second-largest and deadliest outbreak on record behind only the 2014-2016 West African outbreak, which infected more than 28,600 people and killed more than 11,000

Eight of Congo's 26 provinces have been affected, and many deaths have occurred outside treatment centres

Delayed detection, conflict and strained health services have led to a more rapid spread of the virus than in previous outbreaks

The disease has now been reported in East, Central and West Africa, giving it the widest geographic spread of any Ebola outbreak on the continent to date

(Reporting by Clement Bonnerot; Writing by Ayen Deng Bior and Anait Miridzhanian; Editing by Chris Reese and Sonali Paul)