KIGALI: The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has called for an immediate intensification of efforts to contain the rapidly spreading Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), warning that delays could lead to the most severe Ebola epidemic ever recorded.
According to the DRC’s Health Ministry, the outbreak has reached 2,423 confirmed cases and 967 deaths as of Tuesday, 65 days after the epidemic was officially declared on May 15. The reported case fatality rate stands at 39.9%, while health authorities say 81.1% of identified contacts are being successfully traced.
Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya warned that the outbreak is expanding at an alarming pace and called for an urgent global response to prevent further loss of life.
He stressed that governments and international partners must mobilize all available resources, strengthen disease surveillance, and reinforce response efforts on the ground before the situation worsens.
Kaseya also urged the international community to remember that behind every reported case is a family and a community affected by the disease, emphasizing the human cost of the outbreak.
The Ebola virus has now spread across five provinces—Haut-Uele, Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, and Tshopo—with Ituri Province remaining the center of the outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the virus.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that the number of affected health zones increased from 36 to 42 over the past week, highlighting the continued geographic expansion of the outbreak.
Health officials continue to urge stronger surveillance, rapid case detection, effective contact tracing, and international support to contain the virus before it spreads further.
NEWS DESK
PRESS UPDATE