DR Congo Ebola cases surpass 8,000
The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has exceeded 8,000 confirmed cases, as health authorities warn that declining contact tracing and continued community deaths are fueling transmission, Qazinform News Agency cites Anadolu Agency.
According to the latest update from the DRC Health Ministry, the cumulative number of cases has reached 8,067, including 3,901 deaths, since the outbreak was declared in mid-May. The case fatality rate stands at 48.4%.
The outbreak has spread across 63 health zones in seven provinces: Haut-Uele, Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Bas-Uele, Tshopo, and South-Ubangi. Ituri Province remains the epicenter, accounting for 76.4% of all reported cases.
Health authorities reported that many of the latest deaths occurred in communities rather than treatment centers, particularly in Ituri and North Kivu, highlighting ongoing difficulties in identifying and isolating cases promptly.
Contact tracing coverage has declined to 79.2%, down from 83.4%, raising concerns about the ability to contain further spread of the virus.
The outbreak continues to expand geographically, with sustained transmission reported in Haut-Uele and renewed transmission detected in Tshopo Province.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the spread of Ebola into newly affected areas, including South-Ubangi and Haut-Uele, increases the risk of cross-border transmission. The agency also noted that the growing share of deaths occurring in communities underscores the severity of the outbreak.
According to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), approximately $2.9 billion has been mobilized to support the Ebola response across the region.
As of September 10, some 7,022 confirmed Ebola cases and 3,398 deaths were recorded there.
