Ebola Cases in DR Congo Reach Highest Level Since Outbreak Began

The number of new Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has reached its highest level since the outbreak began, according to the World Health Organization’s regional director for Africa, Mohamed Yakub Janabi. Speaking at an online media briefing on Friday, Janabi said this is the largest Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak ever recorded, with transmission continuing in the eastern provinces of Ituri and North Kivu. The situation remains serious, he added. WHO expert in DR Congo, Pierre Akilimali, said the outbreak is occurring in areas affected by insecurity and armed group activity, complicating case detection and contact tracing. He added that some affected areas in Ituri Province are mining zones, where high population movement from outside the region increases the risk of virus transmission. As of Wednesday, DR Congo had reported 1,460 confirmed Ebola cases, including 432 deaths, representing a case fatality rate of approximately 31 percent, Akilimali said, noting that cases have been recorded across 36 health zones in three provinces. He also said 321 of the total deaths occurred in the community, accounting for nearly three-quarters of the fatalities, indicating that many patients failed to reach health facilities in time for treatment. Benjamin Sensasi, a WHO expert in Uganda, said that as of Thursday, Uganda had reported 20 confirmed cases, including 15 imported ones. The five locally transmitted cases were all detected while in quarantine, and no community transmission has been observed. Uganda and DR Congo have established a joint cross-border response mechanism and signed a memorandum of understanding, Sensasi said, under which the two countries will share surveillance information and strengthen screening and treatment capacity in border areas.