Ebola deaths in DR Congo surpass 3,500

The number of people who have died from Ebola virus infection in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has surpassed 3,500.

"Operative Information Center-OMM" reports, citing foreign media outlets.

According to the reports, 35 people died from Ebola over the past 24 hours, bringing the total death toll to 3,510.

The total number of Ebola infections in the country has reached 7,258, the reports said.

The number of new infections increased by 22 over the past day, while the case fatality rate stands at 48.4%.

At present, 903 people with symptoms of the disease are receiving treatment in hospitals and medical isolation facilities. The monitoring rate for people who have been in contact with Ebola patients stands at 78.6%.

The Ebola outbreak has spread to seven of the country’s 26 provinces. Ituri province, the current epicenter of the outbreak, accounts for 78% of confirmed infections.

The outbreak began on May 15 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. It is considered the second-largest Ebola outbreak in Africa in terms of the number of deaths in the history of the disease.

On July 28, Uganda’s authorities declared the Ebola outbreak in the country over. On Aug. 25, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that the outbreak in Uganda had ended.

The largest Ebola outbreak occurred in West Africa from 2014 to 2016, affecting Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. According to the WHO, the number of infections during that outbreak reached 28,600, while more than 11,000 people died.

The current outbreak is the 17th Ebola outbreak recorded in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.