More than 7,200 confirmed Ebola cases have been recorded in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), as sustained transmission continues in several provinces despite an overall downward trend of the epidemic, according to governmental data released Tuesday.
A government report covering the epidemiological situation as of Sunday said 7,258 confirmed cases had been recorded in seven provinces, including 3,510 deaths and 1,726 recoveries. The overall fatality rate stood at 48.4 percent. There are still 905 patients in isolation or hospitalized. The outbreak has affected 62 health zones across seven provinces -- Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uele, Bas-Uele, Tshopo and Sud-Ubangi. Sustained transmission continued in Ituri, North Kivu and Haut-Uele, while sporadic cases were reported in Tshopo and Bas-Uele.
The overall epidemic curve was trending downward as the peak appeared to have been reached around mid-August, said Dieudonne Mwamba Kazadi, head of the National Institute of Public Health, after a strategic coordination meeting in Kinshasa on Monday.
However, he cautioned that the decline was uneven across the country, with some provinces, particularly North Kivu, still reporting increases in cases.
Declared in May, the current outbreak has become the largest and deadliest Ebola epidemic in the DRC's history and the second largest globally, behind the 2014-2016 epidemic in West Africa.
DR Congo reports over 7,200 Ebola cases despite overall downward trend
More than 30 female entrepreneurs from developing countries visited exhibition booths and carried out business negotiations at the 140th edition of the China Import and Export Fair (Canton Fair) in Guangzhou City, south China's Guangdong Province, on Monday.
This year, the UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) organized for the first time a delegation of female entrepreneurs from developing countries to attend the Canton Fair.
The 34 female entrepreneurs mainly came from Latin America, Africa and Asia, and most of them are running small and micro enterprises in their respective countries, with the products covering daily consumer goods, handicrafts, textiles, clothing, and processing of specialty agricultural products.
They were amazed by a clothing AI agent, which was able to show try-on effects of various types of clothes.
"I love the clothes, the dresses, I love it. When I try it, I feel mannequin. I'm so happy to be here," said an entrepreneur from Cote d'Ivoire.
"I am looking for contract manufacturing for skincare, and also I'm looking for packaging," said another entrepreneur from Peru.
The delegation also participated in themed forums and dedicated supply-and-purchase matchmaking events.
On topics such as support for female entrepreneurship and cross-border trade for small and medium-sized enterprises, participants shared the opportunities and challenges for female entrepreneurs in developing countries, and exchanged experiences in cross-border trade, which helped build a platform for establishing connections and expanding cooperation among enterprises.
"Every time I go to Canton Fair, I buy some samples and keep in touch with every supplier I meet. Now I want to buy more products in the Canton Fair," said an entrepreneur from Vietnam.
The 140th Canton Fair runs in three phases in Guangzhou from Oct 15 to Nov 4.
Female entrepreneurs from developing countries experience goods, build connections at Canton Fair
