The Democratic Republic of Congo's Ebola outbreak has killed more than 4,000 people, according to government data, making it the deadliest epidemic in the country's history.
Figures released on Friday showed the death toll has risen to 4,018, with confirmed cases reaching 8,300 across seven provinces. The outbreak, the DRC's 17th, was officially declared on May 15.
Weak infrastructure, the remoteness of eastern DRC, and ongoing conflict with armed groups near the borders with South Sudan, Uganda, and Rwanda have all hindered efforts to respond quickly and effectively.
The United Nations reported on Friday that an Ebola transit camp on the outskirts of Bunia, capital of Ituri Province and the epicentre of the outbreak, was burned by soldiers earlier this week while they were searching for weapons. The incident forced 19,000 people to flee.
"The enormous challenge of halting the spread of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) just became even harder after a key transit centre for patients requiring treatment burned down in Ituri province," the UN said.
Public mistrust and hostility toward health workers and authorities have further complicated containment efforts.
A senior member of the DRC's governing Union for Democracy and Social Progress party was beaten to death after taking part in a radio programme to raise awareness about the epidemic. The attack on Marie-Celestin Karondwa, a local official, took place last Sunday at his home in Butembo, an Ebola hotspot in eastern North Kivu province. His house was set on fire afterwards, and he died in hospital from his injuries.
The World Health Organization has warned that the epidemic is "far from over" and is on track to surpass the 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola outbreak, which killed more than 11,000 people, primarily in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.
The current outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola. Several treatments and vaccines are being trialled, but no approved vaccine or treatment currently exists.
More than 2,000 patients have recovered so far. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said at its latest news conference that the number of confirmed cases is falling, though it cautioned that the decline may partly reflect insecurity and difficulties in securing community cooperation in some hotspots.
