Ebola Outbreak Reaches 2,400 Cases, Africa CDC Urges Immediate Action

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) on Tuesday urged immediate action to tackle the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, warning it could become the worst in the world if not swiftly contained. Sixty-five days into the current outbreak, the number of confirmed cases has reached 2,423, including 967 deaths, according to an update from the DRC Health Ministry. The case fatality rate stands at 39.9 percent, while the contact tracing rate is 81.1 percent. “The Ebola outbreak is escalating at an alarming rate. We must act now,” said Africa CDC Director General Jean Kaseya. “If we do not stop it today, this will become the worst outbreak ever recorded in the world.” He stressed that this is not the time for delay, calling for the mobilisation of every available resource to strengthen the on-the-ground response and halt the outbreak before more lives are lost. The virus has affected five provinces: Haut-Uele, Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, and Tshopo. Ituri remains the epicentre of the epidemic, which is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the virus, with sustained transmission ongoing. Kaseya reminded that behind every statistic is a person, a family, and a community. According to the World Health Organization, the number of affected health zones has risen from 36 to 42 in the past week.