Ebola cases in DR Congo surpass 7,000 as outbreak spreads

The number of laboratory-confirmed Ebola cases recorded during the current outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has reached 7,022, according to data from Congolese authorities cited by TASS.

A total of 3,398 people have died from the disease, the report said.

The outbreak has affected seven of the DRC’s 26 provinces, with Ituri province emerging as its epicentre.

The current outbreak began on May 15 in the DRC and Uganda. Ugandan authorities declared the outbreak over on July 28, a decision confirmed by the World Health Organisation on August 25.

The current outbreak in the DRC is the second-deadliest recorded in Africa. The continent’s largest Ebola outbreak occurred in West Africa between 2014 and 2016, when 28,600 people were infected, and more than 11,000 died.

By Tamilla Hasanova