HARARE, September 18. /TASS/. The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) continues to spread, but the situation is showing encouraging signs of improvement, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.
According to the DRC Ministry of Communication and Media, the number of laboratory-confirmed deaths from Ebola in the country has exceeded 3,500. The total death toll has reached 3,510, while 7,258 people have contracted Ebola. The fatality rate stands at 48.4%.
A total of 903 patients showing symptoms of the disease are currently in hospitals and medical isolation facilities in the DRC. The contact-tracing rate for people infected with Ebola has reached 78.6%. The outbreak has affected seven of the country’s 26 provinces. Ituri Province, the epicenter of the current outbreak, accounts for 78% of confirmed Ebola cases.
The Ebola outbreak began on May 15 in the DRC and Uganda. It has become the second-deadliest outbreak of the disease ever recorded in Africa. Uganda declared its Ebola outbreak over on July 28, which the WHO confirmed on August 25.
The largest Ebola outbreak occurred in West Africa in 2014-2016, affecting Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. According to WHO data, 28,600 people contracted the disease, while more than 11,000 died. The Ebola virus is transmitted to humans from wild animals. The first human case of Ebola virus infection was recorded in what is now the DRC in 1976. The current Ebola outbreak in the DRC is the country’s 17th.
