Ebola outbreak in DR Congo intensifies, confirmed cases jump 1600
The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo continues to intensify, driven by sustained transmission in hotspot health zones in eastern provinces with over 1600 confirmed cases recorded since the outbreak in mid-May, the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Africa said in a situation update Tuesday.
As of July 5, Congo had reported, 1,624 confirmed cases, including 521 deaths, with fatality ratio rising to 32.1%, the report said.
The update said the outbreak is marked by growing numbers of community deaths, and the continued spread of infection into previously unaffected health zones of Ituri and North Kivu provinces.
WHO said compared with the previous update issued on June 28, the epidemiological situation in Congo has deteriorated further with 36 health zones affected.
The outbreak remains active in 28 health zones across Ituri and North Kivu province, according to the update.
Ituri continues to bear the overwhelming burden of the outbreak, accounting for over 90% cases and more than 84% deaths since the outbreak was declared.
WHO warned that reported deaths before patients reach care center cleared showed that surveillance and referral systems are still lagging behind transmission.
Among 430 confirmed deaths investigated as of July 5, some 397 occurred before admission to a treatment center, the update showed, highlighting persistent delays in case detection, referral, isolation, and access to clinical care.
Meanwhile, across the three affected countries, Congo, Uganda and France, a total of 1,645 confirmed cases and 523 confirmed deaths have been reported, according to the update.
