DR Congo Ebola outbreak surpasses 10,000 cases as region tightens screening
The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has passed 10,000 cases, with nearly half of those infected dying, while Kenya, Nigeria and Uganda impose screening and quarantine measures.
How it was covered
- BBC News was the only channel found covering it.
- BBC One, Channel 4, Sky News, Channel 5, BBC Two, GB News and ITV: not found in tracked broadcasts.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story. Facts only one channel reported are attributed to it.
The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has passed 10,000 positive cases, the deadliest outbreak in the country's history. The outbreak was declared in May and involves a rare strain of the virus. Clinical trials of a vaccine have begun.
DR Congo has more experience of Ebola than any other country on the continent, and surveillance has increased. The Africa correspondent said the cases were spread across 66 provinces, which showed the virus was spreading within the country. Nearly 50 per cent of the 10,000 people infected have died. The epicentre is in Ituri region. The virus is still contained within DR Congo and has not spread outside the country on a massive scale, but the correspondent warned that if it is not contained it could spread further across the continent.
Recent cases in nearby countries have raised fears. Uganda recorded up to 20 cases but was declared Ebola-free in August. Kenya had two deaths from Ebola: a man said to have travelled from DR Congo into Kenya, and a woman said to have been a contact of the first death. She died a few days ago. About 98 people remain in quarantine. Nigeria had another case in a person said to have travelled from Uganda.
Kenya has tight controls at airports. Travellers, including those on domestic flights, are screened for Ebola. Major hospitals check temperatures and require hand washing and sanitising. Nigeria has similar measures, and most airports in the region now screen arrivals. Uganda has announced a mandatory 21-day quarantine for anyone with a travel history from DR Congo. All the countries say they are in control of the spread, but the scale of the outbreak in DR Congo remains a serious problem for the region.
Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |
|---|---|
| Only on one channel | |
| DR Congo's deadliest Ebola outbreak surpassed 10,000 cases. | |
| Nearly half of the people infected in the Ebola outbreak died. | |
| The DRC Ebola outbreak surpassed 10,000 cases and is the country's deadliest, with nearly half of infected people dying. | |
| Uganda imposed a mandatory 21-day quarantine for people with travel history from the DRC. | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
BBC News gave the story a straight, factual treatment. It led with the 10,000 case milestone and used the same Africa correspondent package to focus on regional anxiety, airport and hospital screening, and Uganda's quarantine. The second bulletin placed the item inside a wider headlines roundup, but the Ebola content and tone were unchanged.
- “Positive cases of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo have surpassed 10,000 in the deadliest outbreak in the country's history.”
- “nearly 50% of those 10,000 people died of the virus”
- “Uganda has announced a mandatory 21-day quarantine for everyone who's traveled, who has a travel history of DRC into the country”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.