The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has reported 1,094 confirmed Ebola cases, including 277 deaths, in the current outbreak declared on May 15, with the World Health Organization (WHO) registering a record first-month caseload.
Official data released by the country's health authorities Tuesday showed 387 cases were under quarantine or receiving treatment, and 115 recoveries in the DRC. DRC authorities have also reported 131 suspected cases, including 44 suspected deaths.
In its daily epidemiological report, the health ministry noticed an increase in confirmed cases on a weekly basis, consistent with ongoing community transmissions.
This is the largest number of confirmed cases in the first month of an Ebola disease outbreak in Africa, Abdirahman Mahamud, director of Health Emergency Alert and Response Operations at the WHO, told a press briefing in Geneva on Tuesday.
During the current outbreak due to the Bundibugyo species of Ebola virus, it only took 37 days to reach 250 deaths, Dr Mahamud explained. In comparison, it took 78 days to reach that number in the 2014 and 2016 West Africa outbreak, and 130 days in the 2018-2019 outbreak, he said.
Ugochi Daniels, deputy director general for operations at the UN International Organization for Migration (IOM), highlighted the dramatic impact of the disease on families, who are carrying immense burdens.
"In the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, everyday life has become fraught with risk. The journey to feed your family or earn a living can also become a journey into danger. Families are carrying immense burdens. The virus has become more than a health crisis. It touches every aspect of daily life, bringing uncertainty and fear," she said.
Since the start of the response, the IOM and partners have screened over a million travelers at key points of entry and along major mobility corridors, she said.
Mahamud noted encouraging signs that the response has been expanding to keep pace with the spread.
"The number of treatment beds has increased over the last two weeks, going from a handful to over 500 beds across 19 health zones. Surveillance has been scaled up, and the laboratory capacity has gone from 30 tests a day at the start of this outbreak in Kinshasa to now over 2,000 tests per day through a network of eight decentralized labs across Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu," he said.
Uganda has confirmed a new Ebola case, bringing the total number of recorded infections to 20, according to the country's health ministry on Tuesday.
Fourteen patients have recovered, four remain hospitalized, and two deaths have been reported, the ministry said.
1,094 Ebola cases reported in DR Congo as WHO records highest first-month caseload
