The number of confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has risen to 782, with 181 deaths, after 72 new infections were recorded within 24 hours, the country’s health ministry said on Sunday.
The actual number of infections is believed to be higher, as the outbreak was only confirmed on 15 May, weeks after it is thought to have begun. Contact tracing coverage has also fallen sharply to 56 per cent from the previous week.
As of 12 June, the World Health Organization (WHO) had reported 676 confirmed cases and 136 deaths, indicating a significant increase in reported infections and fatalities over the following two days.
The outbreak is caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain of the virus, for which there is currently no approved vaccine or specific treatment, unlike the Zaire strain responsible for most of the country’s previous Ebola outbreaks.
Fifty-six people have recovered, while the current case fatality rate stands at approximately 23 per cent, according to the Ministry.
The outbreak remains concentrated in Ituri province, which accounts for more than 90 per cent of all cases. Cases have also been recorded in North Kivu and South Kivu, and have spread across the border into Uganda.
Nearly one million people have been displaced by conflict in Ituri, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), complicating contact tracing efforts as residents flee violence and move frequently across remote and hard-to-reach areas with limited infrastructure.
