The death toll from an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has surpassed 4,400, with more than 9,100 infections recorded since the epidemic began, the country’s Health Ministry reported on Tuesday.
According to its latest figures, 4,410 people have died out of 9,144 confirmed cases, putting the fatality rate at 48.2%. The majority of new cases were reported in Ituri Province, which remains the epicenter of the outbreak, accounting for nearly three-quarters of all infections. Sixty-five health zones across seven provinces have been affected.
The outbreak was officially declared on May 15 and involves the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus for which there are currently no approved vaccines or targeted treatments available.
The epidemic has also spread beyond DR Congo, with Kenya confirming its first-ever Ebola case last week after a man who had lived in DR Congo for seven years died in a Nairobi hospital. The patient had traveled through Uganda before arriving in Kenya on October 3. Kenyan authorities have identified 28 contacts and are tracing another 27 passengers and crew members from his flight.
Earlier this month, Congolese Health Minister Roger Samuel Kamba said the outbreak had passed its peak, citing a decline in new infections and fewer areas reporting active transmission. However, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) cautioned that the epidemic was not yet under control, warning that insecurity in affected areas had disrupted surveillance.
The impact of the outbreak on the region’s humanitarian situation was also raised at the UN Security Council on Tuesday. Russia’s Deputy Ambassador Anna Evstigneeva warned that the Ebola epidemic was exacerbating an already severe humanitarian crisis in eastern DR Congo, where fighting between government forces and armed groups continues.
Russia has provided diagnostic assistance to the countries affected by the outbreak. On October 7, the Russian Foreign Ministry reported a new shipment of Russian-made diagnostic kits to Uganda, sufficient for 7,000 tests. The delivery followed a September training program in Russia for ten Ugandan health specialists on infection prevention and control.