Kinshasa, September 4 (Daily Kiran) : The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) announced on Thursday that while conditions in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) appear to be stabilizing, it is premature to declare the Ebola outbreak fully under control.
During an online press briefing, Africa CDC official Wesam Mankoula emphasized the need for caution. “It is too early to say we have successfully controlled the entire outbreak,” he stated.
As of September 1, government reports indicated that the DRC has recorded 6,250 confirmed Ebola cases and 3,039 deaths, resulting in a mortality rate of 48.6 percent. Fortunately, 1,439 patients have recovered. The outbreak has impacted 60 health zones across six provinces.
Notably, four health zones have not reported new cases for over 42 days, while five others have seen no new cases for 21 to 42 days. However, Mankoula warned that the virus remains active in 51 health zones.
Although there has been a decrease in cases over the past two weeks, Mankoula cautioned that it is too soon to determine if this downward trend will continue.
The Africa CDC expressed concern over the fact that more than 60 percent of deaths in the past week occurred within communities, indicating that many patients are not reaching hospitals or treatment centers in time. This situation highlights delays in disease identification and challenges in accessing treatment.
The United Nations has also raised alarms about the rapid spread of the Ebola virus, which is outpacing relief and control efforts. The death toll has surpassed 3,000.
According to official reports, by August 31, the DRC had documented 6,186 confirmed cases and 3,007 deaths, with 1,409 patients having recovered. Meanwhile, 830 individuals remain in isolation or at Ebola treatment centers.
The outbreak has predominantly affected the Ituri, North Kivu, Haut-Uele, Tshopo, South Kivu, and Bas-Uele provinces, with Ituri being the epicenter, accounting for 81.9 percent of the total confirmed cases in the country.
Declared in May, this outbreak has become the largest and deadliest Ebola epidemic in the DRC’s history, and the second largest globally, following the devastating outbreak in West Africa from 2014 to 2016.
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