OMM Newsroom
The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has spread to an eighth province as authorities seek to contain the country’s largest recorded epidemic, Anadolu Agency reported, citing health authorities on Sunday.
The Health Ministry said North Ubangi, in the northwest, was the latest province affected after two cases were confirmed, including one death, in an area bordering the Central African Republic.
The new cases involved men in their 20s in the Wapinda health zone, which borders Bas-Uele province.
Until last week, the disease, caused by the Bundibugyo virus strain, had been reported in seven provinces: Haut-Uele, Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Bas-Uele, Tshopo and South Ubangi.
Transmission remains highly uneven across affected regions, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Ituri remains the main focus of the outbreak, while substantial transmission continues in North Kivu and Haut-Uele.
The latest official data put the number of confirmed cases in the country at more than 9,400, including 4,536 deaths, since the outbreak was declared in May.
Community resistance remains a challenge, with many deaths occurring within communities. WHO Regional Director for Africa Mohamed Yakub Janabi on Sunday stressed the importance of local leaders in building trust, community ownership and collective action.
About two-thirds of deaths are occurring at home, according to the WHO.
The outbreak is the largest and deadliest ever recorded in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the second-largest Ebola outbreak globally, after the 2014-2016 epidemic in West Africa.
Kenya’s Health Ministry on Sunday confirmed one new Ebola case, bringing the total number of positive cases there to eight this month.
Health authorities called for greater vigilance to prevent further cross-border spread of Ebola.
