Congo says the death toll in fastest-growing Ebola outbreak has passed 1,500

BUNIA, Congo \u2014 Ebola has killed more than 1,500 people in eastern Congo in the fastest-growing outbreak of the disease, data released Thursday showed, marking a 50% increase in around a week as the emergency continues to outpace response efforts.As of Tuesday, 3,442 cases had been recorded, with 1,521 deaths, according to the latest government update. The sharp rise since last week partly reflects a backlog of cases and deaths that had not yet been confirmed or recorded, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday.The outbreak, declared on May 15, has been linked to the Bundibugyo virus for which there are no approved vaccines or treatments. Delays in contact tracing, difficulties accessing affected areas, mistrust from communities and violence by armed groups and some residents have hampered the response, the Africa CDC said.The outbreak is mostly concentrated in eastern Congo's remote Ituri province, which accounts for nearly 90% of cases, but there have been others confirmed in five provinces, including one of the country's largest cities, Kisangani.Neighboring Uganda declared itself free of Ebola on Tuesday following the discharge of the country's last patient in mid-June.Ebola is rare but highly contagious and can be contracted via bodily fluids such as vomit, blood or semen. The disease it causes is severe and often fatal.They are working amidst risks of infection as well as risks to their personal safety.–Pierre Akilimali, Ebola response incident manager Africa CDC Director-General Dr. Jean Kaseya said Thursday that 63% of confirmed deaths in the last two weeks occurred outside of treatment centers.Kaseya said this is largely due to the "unsafe handling of infected bodies" by residents. Traditional burial practices in some communities involve touching the bodies of the deceased, which can be highly contagious.The restrictions that health authorities have placed on such funerals, along with widespread misinformation asserting that the deadly virus isn't real, have angered some residents and led to attacks on health facilities.In Ituri's Nyakunde health zone, international partners supporting the Ebola response had to temporarily relocate after a July 15 attack on a hospital and a treatment center, sparked by a patient's death.Officials say the relocation of these partners, including Africa CDC and Mercy Corps, has disrupted surveillance, contact tracing and supplies.Dr. D\u00e9sir\u00e9 Duabo, chief medical officer for t