The number of confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has risen to 782, following the reporting of 72 new cases in the past 24 hours—one of the largest daily increases since the start of the current outbreak, according to data released by the government on Sunday (14).
According to the latest epidemiological situation report, the confirmed cases include 181 deaths.
The data indicate that this, the 17th Ebola outbreak in the country, remains concentrated in three eastern provinces: Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu.
However, cases have been confirmed for the first time in the Nia-Nia health zone in Ituri and in the Mabalako health zone in North Kivu.
Currently, there are confirmed cases in 20 of Ituri’s 36 health zones, in 10 of North Kivu’s 34 health zones, and in one health zone in South Kivu.
Last week, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that three laboratories in the Democratic Republic of the Congo had run out of supplies to conduct Ebola tests, at a time when the outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain of the virus continues to spread.
In the same vein, the United States (U.S.) announced an additional $20 million in funding to support the response to the Ebola outbreak in Africa, bringing the total amount of direct U.S. aid to over $220 million.
Source: Reuters
