Ebola death toll in Africa surpasses 1,000, cases near to 2500

The death toll from the ongoing Ebola outbreak in Africa has exceeded 1,000, according to the latest figures released by health authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda.

Authorities said 2,473 Ebola cases had been confirmed, including 999 deaths, as of July 20, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

Uganda has confirmed 20 infections, including two fatalities, bringing the combined death toll in the two countries to 1,001.

The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo virus, was first declared on May 15 in Ituri Province in eastern DRC before spreading to North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uele and Tshopo provinces.

According to the DRC health ministry, 737 patients remained in isolation or were receiving hospital treatment as of July 20, while 482 people had recovered.

Speaking at a press conference in Geneva on July 16, World Health Organisation Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the outbreak had become the third-largest Ebola epidemic on record and had expanded faster over the past month than any previous outbreak.

The current epidemic is the DRC's 17th since the Ebola virus was first identified in the country in 1976.

Tedros also noted that Uganda's last confirmed Ebola patient was discharged on July 16, marking the start of the mandatory 42-day countdown before the country can officially declare its outbreak over.

Meanwhile, Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) Director-General Jean Kaseya warned at an African Union health summit in Accra on Tuesday that the outbreak could become one of the worst Ebola epidemics ever recorded if it is not contained quickly.

Kaseya called for stronger political commitment, sustainable health financing and African-led emergency response systems. He added that funding requirements for the Ebola response have risen sharply from an estimated $518 million in June to $1.4 billion, highlighting the growing scale of the crisis.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov