The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has reported a rise in Ebola infections, with the total number of confirmed cases reaching 689, including 139 deaths, according to the latest situation report released by the country’s health authorities.
The report said 17 new confirmed cases and five additional deaths were recorded on Thursday, all in the eastern province of Ituri. The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, has spread across 29 health zones in the eastern provinces of Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu.
Health authorities have also recorded 168 suspected cases, including 64 deaths, as of Thursday.
The report highlighted several challenges affecting the response effort, including reluctance among some communities to undergo post-mortem swabbing, limited capacity at Ebola treatment centres, shortages of infection prevention and control materials in North Kivu, weak alert reporting mechanisms and a funding shortfall of 21.5 million US dollars.
According to a report released by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), two Ebola-related deaths have also been reported in a camp for internally displaced persons in Ituri.
The current outbreak was officially declared by the DRC’s Health Ministry on May 15. It is the country’s 17th Ebola outbreak since the virus was first identified in 1976.
Health experts have noted that the outbreak involves the Bundibugyo species of the Ebola virus, for which no approved vaccine or specific treatment is currently available, although research and testing of potential candidates are underway. The outbreak is unfolding amid a humanitarian crisis in a region marked by insecurity, population displacement and significant cross-border movement.
Ebola was first identified in 1976 during two simultaneous outbreaks in what are now the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan. The disease takes its name from the Ebola River, located near Yambuku in the DRC, where one of the earliest outbreaks occurred.
The World Health Organization has previously warned that ongoing insecurity, high population mobility and limited healthcare resources could complicate efforts to contain the spread of the disease in the affected regions.
