Kinshasa, June 24: The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is grappling with a severe Ebola outbreak, which has claimed 277 lives and infected 1,094 individuals. The outbreak was officially declared on May 15, and the World Health Organization (WHO) has noted that this is the highest number of cases recorded in the first month of any Ebola outbreak in Africa.
According to official statistics released on Tuesday, 387 patients are currently in quarantine or receiving treatment, while 115 individuals have recovered. Additionally, there are 131 suspected cases, including 44 suspected deaths.
The daily epidemiological report from the health ministry indicates a consistent rise in confirmed cases on a weekly basis, reflecting the ongoing spread of the virus within communities.
As reported by Xinhua News Agency, public health measures have been intensified. This includes strengthening epidemiological and laboratory surveillance and decentralizing testing capabilities. These efforts have enabled timely identification of cases and confirmed the spread at the community level.
During a press briefing in Geneva on Tuesday, Abdrahman Mahamoud, Director of WHO’s Health Emergency Alert and Response Operations, stated that the outbreak has recorded the highest number of cases in its first month in Africa’s history.
He noted improvements in response capacity, with treatment facilities increasing from just a few beds to over 500 across 19 health zones in the past two weeks.
Laboratory capacity has also seen rapid expansion. Initially, around 30 tests were conducted daily in the capital, Kinshasa; this number has now surged to over 2,000. This increase is facilitated by a network of eight laboratories spread across Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu provinces.
DRC President Félix Tshisekedi announced on Tuesday that he will soon visit Ituri province, the epicenter of the outbreak, to assess relief and control efforts on the ground. He made this statement during a joint press conference in Kinshasa with Burundi’s President Évariste Ndayishimiye, whose country currently holds the rotating presidency of the African Union.
Before the press conference, both leaders were briefed by the national Ebola task force on the pandemic situation and control measures.
Tshisekedi called for strengthened regional cooperation and emphasized the importance of prevention, monitoring, and rapid information sharing.
Ndayishimiye urged African nations and the international community not to close borders in response to the outbreak.
In Uganda, which borders Ituri province (where nearly 90% of infections have been reported), another case has emerged, bringing the total number of cases there to 20. Of these, 14 patients have recovered, while two have died.
According to Uganda’s health ministry, 15 of these cases are linked to external infections.
On the same day, Uganda and Congo initiated cross-border cooperation, which includes joint surveillance, deployment of rapid response teams, mobile labs, and treatment centers.
Recent WHO reports indicate that the risk of Ebola in the DRC remains very high as the virus continues to spread into new areas. Meanwhile, the infection rate in Uganda also remains elevated.
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