Ebola deaths top 5,000 as US flight check starts Nov. 3

Ebola has now killed more than 5,000 people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Health Ministry data showed 5,026 deaths among 10,351 people infected, the Associated Press reported Oct. 31. That is a fatality rate near 50%.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, which compiles official data, counted 10,274 confirmed cases and 4,992 deaths through Oct. 28.

Bundibugyo virus causes this outbreak. No vaccine or treatment is approved for it. It is the second largest Ebola outbreak on record, Reuters reported, behind the 2014 to 2016 West Africa epidemic that killed more than 11,000 people.

How it is spreading

Congo declared the outbreak in May. The virus has reached 8 of the country’s 26 provinces and 67 of its 178 health zones, the AP reported. Ituri and North Kivu in the east account for 9,782 cases and 4,792 deaths.

Africa CDC says about 80% of new cases come from people outside known contact lists, according to the AP. Those people were not on any list of contacts being watched. A World Health Organization official told the AP that about one third of deaths happened outside treatment centers.

The WHO put the case fatality rate at 48.3% as of Oct. 20. Conflict, late detection and strained clinics have helped the virus spread faster than in past outbreaks, Reuters reported.

The virus has crossed borders. Kenya has reported 9 cases and 2 deaths, ECDC says. Nigeria reported one imported case, a patient later evacuated to Switzerland. Uganda has also reported cases.

What changes for U.S. travel

A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention order takes effect at 11:59 p.m. Eastern on Nov. 3 and runs through Dec. 18.

From then, passengers boarding any flight to the U.S. from a foreign country must sign a statement that they have not been in Congo in the prior 21 days, with limited exemptions. That covers U.S. citizens, crew, connecting passengers, private jets and cargo flights. Passing through a Congo airport counts as being there. Airlines must keep each form for 42 days. A false statement can bring a federal criminal charge.

The 21 days match the longest known incubation period for Ebola.

Tighter rules already apply. Travelers who were in Congo in the past 21 days, including U.S. citizens, cannot board flights to the U.S., the CDC says. Non citizens who were in Uganda or South Sudan in that window are barred. U.S. citizens coming from those two countries must fly into Washington Dulles, Atlanta or New York JFK for screening.

The order does not cover land or sea crossings. The CDC says the risk to the American public remains low.

Why it matters

The outbreak is still growing, and most new cases come from outside known contacts. With no approved vaccine or drug, isolation and contact tracing are the main tools. The U.S. response now runs through airline gates worldwide. Every passenger signs, and airlines must hold the paperwork. The order expires Dec. 18 unless the government extends it.