Ebola outbreak in Congo grows, death toll hits 473

The number of laboratory-confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has risen to 1,502, marking an increase of 42 cases over the past 24 hours, according to an official daily bulletin.

The update was released by the country’s Ministry of Communication and Media Affairs, as cited by TASS.

The death toll has climbed to 473, up by 26 from the previous day, with the case fatality rate standing at 31.4%.

Health authorities reported that 628 patients are currently receiving treatment in hospitals and isolation units, while 213 people have fully recovered.

Contact tracing efforts have reached 81.8%, with 11,360 individuals who had contact with infected patients currently under monitoring.

The latest outbreak began on May 15 in eastern parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and neighbouring Uganda. The epicentre has been identified in Ituri province in northeastern Congo.

By Tamilla Hasanova