The death toll from the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has surpassed 3,000, as the World Health Organization (WHO) warned the risks of undetected chains of transmission.
As of Aug 31, the DRC had recorded 6,186 confirmed cases and 3,007 deaths, according to an official situation report. A total of 1,409 patients have recovered, while 830 others remain in isolation or Ebola treatment centers.
The outbreak has affected 60 health zones across the six provinces of Ituri, North Kivu, Haut-Uele, Tshopo, South Kivu and Bas-Uele. Ituri remains the epicenter, accounting for 81.9 percent of all confirmed cases nationwide.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a press briefing on Wednesday that the Ebola outbreak in the DRC is moving faster than any previous Ebola outbreaks in the country.
Tedros said that there are still undetected chains of transmission in the current outbreak, adding that many deaths are among people who were not on a list of known contacts.
Until every chain is found and broken, the epidemic will continue, he added.
During Tuesday's online briefing, Tom Fletcher, UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, warned that the virus was still outpacing the scaled-up response.
Unless the response efforts are stepped up urgently, more lives will be lost and the threat will grow, he said.
The UN official also revealed that over 40 health workers have died from Ebola while responding to the outbreak, while treatment centers and ambulances have also come under attack.
The current outbreak, declared in May, has since become the country's largest and deadliest Ebola epidemic on record and the second-largest globally, behind the 2014-2016 epidemic in West Africa.
DR Congo Ebola deaths top 3,000 as WHO warns risks of unclear transmission chains
Military units across China have held commemorative events as Thursday marks the 81st anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, honoring fallen heroes and reaffirming their commitment to national defense.
In the lead-up to the anniversary, troops have engaged in a variety of activities to revisit the history of the War of Resistance and carry forward its spirit, turning their reverence for the martyrs into a driving force for combat readiness and safeguarding the nation.
On the Karakoram Plateau at an altitude of over 4,000 meters, soldiers of a Xinjiang military command unit held a patriotic education session on the snow-capped mountains. They took an oath to strengthen their resolve to guard the borders and uphold their loyalty and sense of duty. The soldiers also visited the Kangxiwar Martyrs' Cemetery, the highest of its kind in the country, to pay tribute to fallen heroes and renew their commitment to their mission.
"History must not be forgotten, and neither must our martyrs. As plateau troops in the new era, we must carry forward the spirit of the War of Resistance and pass on the red legacy. We will engrave the oath 'We would rather shed every drop of blood than lose even an inch of our land' deep in our hearts and act on it. We are determined to defend every inch of our motherland's territory," said Pei Youquan, a soldier from the unit.
Other military units also visited patriotic education bases and revolutionary memorial sites, where historical artifacts and stories of wartime heroism helped soldiers better appreciate the hard-won peace of today.
"Today's peace and happy life were earned with the blood and lives of countless revolutionary martyrs who fought heroically. We must carry forward their legacy and their revolutionary spirit, hone our skills and strive to make new contributions in our posts," said Guo Xicheng, a soldier with the 926th Hospital of the Joint Logistics Support Force.
Troops have also integrated the wartime legacy into their combat-readiness training through various innovative forms, including artifact presentations, historical research and studies, story-sharing sessions and oath-renewal ceremonies, all aimed at inspiring the soldiers to learn from the noble spirit of their predecessors who fought bravely to the end.
"As a frontline combat unit, we must integrate the great spirit of the War of Resistance into every aspect of our training. By conducting realistic and practical training, we will sharpen our ability to fight and resolutely shoulder the mission of strengthening the military in this new era," said Xia Yanhao, a soldier with the 71st Group Army.
Zhang Jinfeng, a soldier with the 73rd Group Army, echoed that sentiment: "We will carry forward the undaunted fighting spirit of our predecessors and integrate it into our daily training. We will turn our reverence for the martyrs into an unrelenting driving force for combat readiness training, and live up to our responsibilities with concrete actions."
Chinese troops honor WWII victory with events to carry forward fighting spirit
