Ebola deaths approach 3,000

Nearly half of confirmed patients have died as the outbreak spreads across six provinces in DR Congo More than 6,000 people have been infected with Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) since the latest outbreak began, with nearly half of confirmed patients dying from the disease, according to government figures published on Monday.

The outbreak has spread to 60 health zones across six provinces – Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uele, Bas-Uele, and Tshopo.

Ituri remains the worst affected, with 28 of its 36 health zones reporting cases, followed by North Kivu with 15.

The country has recorded 6,041 confirmed cases and 2,911 deaths, putting the case fatality rate at 48.2%.

The World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Friday that the outbreak continues to worsen.

“Although surveillance has expanded, numbers of cases and deaths continue to rise due to sustained transmission and geographic expansion,” the agency said in a post on X.

Read more Ebola outbreak: Is the US panicking with new travel bans? A total of 1,366 patients have recovered, while 619 remain in isolation or hospital, according to the National Institute of Public Health.

The ministry said response teams remain active across the affected provinces, with efforts particularly concentrated in Ituri, North Kivu, and Haut-Uele.

The outbreak, which was declared in May, is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola and has become the largest recorded in DR Congo’s history, surpassing the country’s 2018-2020 epidemic.

There are currently no approved vaccines or specific treatments for the Bundibugyo strain.

International organizations have also stepped up in support for the response.

On Monday, vehicles were handed over to health authorities and Red Cross teams in Kisangani, the capital of Tshopo Province, to help contain the outbreak.

“Sustained attention and resources for the Ebola response in DRC remain essential,” Ariel Kestens, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) head of delegation, said on X.

Last week, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the Ebola outbreak a “human tragedy affecting families [and] communities on an extraordinary scale.” READ MORE: WHO declares Uganda free of Ebola The WHO and the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) have also previously called for greater international support to contain the outbreak.