Kinshasa, June 23 (IANS) The number of confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has risen to 1,048, including 267 deaths, according to the latest report released by the country’s health authorities.
According to the report, covering data as of Sunday, 371 patients were in isolation or hospitalised, while 112 people had recovered. A total of 202 suspected cases, including 60 deaths, were identified as of Sunday. The overall case fatality rate stood at 25.5 per cent.
The report said the number of confirmed cases has continued to rise week by week, indicating ongoing community transmission. It warned that a rapid geographic spread remains possible if public health measures are not implemented promptly.
The current outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo ebolavirus, was officially declared on May 15 by the DRC’s health ministry.
Earlier on Friday, UN humanitarians warned that overcrowding and poor sanitation in displacement camps in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are heightening the risk of Ebola transmission, reports Xinhua news agency.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that more than 270,000 people, mostly women and children, are sheltering in over 60 sites across the province of Ituri, many of which lack adequate access to water, sanitation and health services.
The office said the United Nations has received reports from local partners that, between Wednesday and Thursday, at least 13 people died in two camps in Bunia, the capital of Ituri. Response teams are urgently investigating whether these deaths are linked to Ebola. Since April, at least 62 deaths have been reported in camps around the city.
“These deaths are occurring amid a broader Ebola flare-up in Bunia, where mistrust of health facilities, congestion, gaps in prevention measures and unsafe handling of bodies are driving transmission risks among people in displacement camps,” OCHA said. “This is particularly concerning as Ituri province remains the epicentre of the outbreak, accounting for more than 90 per cent of confirmed cases.”
–IANS
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