Daijiworld Media Network - Kinshasa

Kinshasa, Jun 27: The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has recorded 1,203 confirmed cases of Ebola, including 321 deaths, since the latest outbreak was declared in mid-May, according to the country's public health authorities.

The latest situation report, released on Friday (local time), said 148 patients have recovered from the disease, while 419 infected individuals remain in isolation or are undergoing treatment at health facilities. Authorities have also identified 265 suspected cases, including 77 fatalities.

World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said there had been encouraging progress in contact tracing and patient recovery, with more infected people completing treatment and returning home.

However, he cautioned that the outbreak remains a major public health challenge.

In a post on X, Tedros said ongoing armed conflict and insecurity continue to hamper response efforts, while public mistrust remains a significant obstacle to containing the disease.

Health authorities also highlighted several operational challenges affecting the response. These include resistance from some communities to post-mortem testing, inadequate treatment capacity in Ituri province, where Ebola treatment centres are nearing full occupancy, and contact tracing rates that remain below the target of 95 per cent.

The report further warned of shortages of essential medicines, infection prevention and control supplies, as well as an estimated shortfall of around 20 isolation centres needed to manage the outbreak effectively.

Officials said insecurity in areas controlled by armed groups, frequent population movement and a funding gap of approximately 20 million US dollars are severely affecting containment efforts.

The current outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, was officially declared on May 15.

Meanwhile, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has appealed for 1.4 billion US dollars to strengthen Ebola response operations across the affected regions.

Addressing an online press briefing on Thursday, Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya said the outbreak had not yet reached its peak despite being five weeks into the emergency.

He pointed to a sharp increase in infections over the past week and warned that the current outbreak is rapidly becoming the largest Ebola crisis seen in recent years.

"If we fail to stop this outbreak now, and it continues for two years, as happened during previous epidemics in West Africa and eastern DRC, it could become the biggest Ebola outbreak ever recorded," Kaseya warned.