Daijiworld Media Network - Kinshasa

Kinshasa, Aug. 7: The number of confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has risen to 4,053, including 1,850 deaths, according to the latest update released by the country's health authorities.

Officials said 694 patients remain in isolation or are undergoing treatment in hospitals, while 793 people have recovered from the disease.

Medical humanitarian organisation Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders, warned that the Ebola outbreak in eastern DRC is "more critical than ever", with the virus spreading at an alarming and unprecedented pace and showing "no sign of slowing down".

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said the outbreak has claimed the lives of 330 children and is severely disrupting essential health services in the worst-affected Ituri province.

According to UNICEF, children account for nearly one in four confirmed Ebola cases but almost one in three deaths. It said children under the age of five are particularly vulnerable, with a case fatality rate more than twice that of adults.

The agency also noted that the outbreak has led to a sharp decline in childhood immunisation, maternal healthcare and other essential medical services, as fear of infection and disruptions at health facilities have discouraged families from seeking treatment.

"The Ebola outbreak is severely disrupting the entire health system, with inevitable consequences for cases of malaria, diarrhoea and other treatable illnesses that are the biggest killers of children," UNICEF representative in the DRC John Agbor said.

MSF reiterated that the situation remains extremely serious, warning that the outbreak continues to spread rapidly without any indication of slowing.