The death toll from the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has surpassed 2,800, as health authorities reported nearly 6,000 confirmed cases across six provinces.
Latest Health Ministry figures released on Sunday showed 5,945 confirmed infections, with at least 1,327 patients having recovered. Another 896 confirmed patients remain in isolation or are receiving hospital treatment.
The outbreak, which was declared in mid-May, has now reached 60 health zones across Haut-Uele, Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Bas-Uele and Tshopo provinces.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the Bundibugyo virus strain responsible for the outbreak continues to evolve rapidly amid sustained transmission. It described the increase in infections and geographic expansion over the past three months as a “substantial increase” in the scale of the crisis.
Congolese authorities launched an Ebola vaccination campaign last week, initially targeting healthcare personnel and other frontline workers as efforts intensify to contain transmission.
Health officials have stressed that community cooperation will be critical to bringing the outbreak under control, particularly in identifying infections quickly, tracing contacts and ensuring that suspected cases are reported rather than concealed.
“We are not going to use magic to defeat Ebola,” response doctor Richard Kitenge told reporters in Ituri. “It is through the support and involvement of the community.”
Kitenge said adherence to preventive measures and cooperation with health teams would allow authorities to improve contact tracing and respond more rapidly to new infections.
With transmission continuing across dozens of health zones, authorities face the challenge of containing the outbreak while expanding vaccination, surveillance and treatment efforts across a widening geographical area.