The number of confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has reached 689, with 139 reported deaths, according to the country’s health authorities. A recent situation report revealed 17 new confirmed cases, including five deaths, in the eastern province of Ituri. The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, has impacted 29 health zones across Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu provinces.
A total of 168 suspected cases, with 64 deaths, had been recorded as of the latest report. Operational challenges highlighted in the report include reluctance for post-mortem swabbing, limited capacity in Ebola treatment centers, shortages of infection prevention materials in North Kivu, weak alert reporting in the three provinces, and a funding shortfall of $21.5 million.
In a camp for internally displaced people in Ituri, two Ebola-related deaths were reported, as per the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. This current outbreak, declared on May 15 by the DRC’s health ministry, marks the country’s 17th Ebola outbreak since the virus was first identified in 1976.
