Daijiworld Media Network – Kinshasa
Kinshasa, Jul 29: The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has reported 3,200 confirmed Ebola cases, with the death toll rising to 1,405, according to the latest situation report released by the country's health authorities.
The report, covering data up to Saturday and released late Sunday, said 571 patients had recovered, while 773 remained in isolation. Over the previous 24 hours, authorities recorded 125 new confirmed cases and 51 additional deaths.
Ituri Province continues to be the epicentre of the outbreak, accounting for 89 per cent of all confirmed infections, according to the report.
Health authorities said the outbreak continued to be fuelled by population movement, insecurity, artisanal mining activities and cross-border travel with Uganda and South Sudan. They added that surveillance and response measures would be further strengthened to contain the spread of the virus.
The report said the outbreak remained in a phase of sustained transmission, with a high level of virus circulation across affected areas.
Treatment facilities are also under strain. North Kivu Province reported 171 patients in isolation despite having a capacity of 141 beds, resulting in an occupancy rate of 121.3 per cent. Nationwide, bed occupancy stood at 82.1 per cent.
The outbreak, declared on May 15, is caused by the Bundibugyo ebolavirus and has spread from Ituri Province to five provinces in the country.
Prime Minister Judith Suminwa Tuluka on Friday warned that the outbreak could further worsen the humanitarian crisis in eastern DRC. Speaking in Bunia, the capital of Ituri Province, she said the government had allocated $50 million for the response in addition to funds mobilised by international partners.
She also said researchers were working to develop a vaccine and treatment for the Bundibugyo ebolavirus, for which there is currently no approved vaccine or specifically licensed treatment.
In a significant development, the University of Oxford announced on Friday that the first volunteer had been vaccinated in the world's first human clinical trial of the ChAdOx1 BDBV vaccine, which is designed to protect against the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus.