The number of cases of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo hit 10,060 this week, according to the country’s Health Ministry, making it the fastest-growing outbreak of the disease in history.
The disease has also killed about 4,800 people in the country since the start of the outbreak in May, fueling fears that it could spread to other African nations.
Nigeria, Kenya and Uganda have reported several Ebola cases this year.
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Ebola, a severe and frequently fatal viral infection, is typically transmitted through broken skin coming into direct contact with infected bodily fluids, including urine, sweat and blood.
Symptoms include a sudden high fever, severe headache, extreme fatigue and loss of appetite.
The DRC has had repeated Ebola outbreaks over the past 10 years, though this year’s is by far the most intense. Last year, an outbreak resulted in 64 cases and killed 45 people, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The spreading virus is sparking intense violence in the country as misinformation about Ebola leads to attacks on healthcare workers.
On Friday a pair of nurses working at the general hospital in Bafwasende in northeastern DRC was attacked by a group wielding machetes and batons who had accused the healthcare workers of spreading the disease through the water supply.
One of the nurses was killed in the attack.
World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus condemned the attack and insisted that healthcare workers in DRC be treated with “dignity and safety.”
A local health official told Sky News that the Bafwasende hospital has been under heavy guard since the incident and that the nurses have refused to sleep in their own houses “because they fear for their security.”
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