Daijiworld Media Network - Kinshasa
Kinshasa, Jul 4: The Democratic Republic of the Congo has recorded 1,502 confirmed cases of Ebola, including 473 deaths, as the World Health Organization warned that the outbreak remains a major public health concern.
According to the latest situation report released by the country's public health authorities on Friday, 628 patients are currently in isolation or receiving hospital treatment, while 229 people have recovered from the disease. Officials have also reported 213 suspected Ebola cases, including 63 deaths.
Addressing an online media briefing, WHO Regional Director for Africa Mohamed Yakub Janabi said the outbreak continues to spread in the eastern provinces of Ituri Province and North Kivu, describing the situation as serious.
Janabi noted that the current outbreak is the largest-ever outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola recorded globally.
WHO expert Pierre Akilimali said efforts to contain the disease have been complicated by insecurity and the presence of armed groups in several affected areas. He added that parts of Ituri are major mining regions with frequent population movement, increasing the risk of further transmission and making contact tracing more difficult.
The WHO also announced that a clinical trial has begun in the DRC to evaluate potential treatments for Ebola caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a strain for which there is currently no approved vaccine or specific treatment.
Meanwhile, neighbouring Uganda has reported 20 confirmed Ebola cases, according to WHO expert Benjamin Sensasi. Of these, 15 were imported, while the remaining five locally acquired infections were detected during quarantine, with no evidence so far of community transmission.
Sensasi said Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo have strengthened their joint response by establishing a cross-border coordination mechanism and signing a memorandum of understanding to improve disease surveillance, information sharing, screening and treatment capacity along their shared border.