Confirmed Ebola cases in DR Congo surpass 1,700

The number of confirmed Ebola infections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has risen to 1,708, according to government data released on July 8 and cited by Reuters.

Authorities said that 580 deaths have been recorded since the outbreak began.

The DR Congo has experienced more Ebola outbreaks than any other country, with the 2018–2020 outbreak in eastern provinces like North Kivu and Ituri becoming the country's largest and the world's second-biggest on record, involving over 3,470 cases and about 2,299 deaths amid active conflict that severely hampered response efforts.

This prolonged epidemic disrupted healthcare, displaced populations, and required innovative measures such as vaccinating hundreds of thousands of people and deploying experimental treatments, while also affecting health workers and exacerbating humanitarian challenges in unstable areas.

By Jeyhun Aghazada