Daijiworld Media Network - Kinshasa

Kinshasa, Oct 3: The ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) has claimed more than 4,000 lives, with health authorities reporting 4,018 deaths among 8,300 confirmed cases across seven provinces.

According to the Congolese Health Ministry, 2,162 patients have recovered, while the case fatality rate stands at 48.4 per cent.

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said the outbreak has expanded from three health zones in mid-May to 63 health zones across seven provinces. Of these, 45 health zones are still reporting active transmission.

Africa CDC has warned that the recent decline in reported cases should not necessarily be interpreted as a sustained reduction in transmission or an indication that the outbreak is under control. It said the drop could instead be linked to gaps in disease surveillance.

International medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has also warned that the actual death toll could be higher because of gaps in surveillance and case detection.

Insecurity and resistance from communities in several affected areas have hampered disease surveillance and response operations, raising concerns that some infections may be going undetected.

Authorities and health organisations continue to monitor the outbreak amid concerns over the spread of the virus and challenges in maintaining effective surveillance and response measures.