Ebola deaths top 5,000 in DR Congo as the outbreak becomes the second deadliest in history with no known vaccine

The Bundibugyo strain driving the outbreak has a near-50% lethality rate, with 5,026 deaths recorded from 10,351 infections since mid-May, according to DR Congo's health ministry.

The Bundibugyo virus has no known vaccine or treatment, leaving health workers able only to manage symptoms.

WHO's Dr Patrick Otim warned: 'It is families and communities that have been devastated — the number shows the severity.'

In a rare bright spot, Médecins Sans Frontières celebrated discharging the last patients from its Mongbwalu facility — the outbreak's original epicentre.