Ebola Cases Near 900 in DR Congo as Outbreak Continues to Spread

Kinshasa: The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is witnessing a steady rise in Ebola infections, with the number of confirmed cases reaching 896, including 232 deaths, according to the country's health authorities.

In its latest update, the Ministry of Health reported 21 new confirmed cases and six additional deaths on Wednesday in the eastern provinces of Ituri and North Kivu. The outbreak, linked to the Bundibugyo ebolavirus strain, has now spread across 33 health zones in the provinces of Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu.

Health officials said 383 patients are currently either in isolation or receiving treatment in hospitals, while 78 people have recovered from the disease. Among them were 11 patients recently declared recovered after testing negative during follow-up examinations.

Authorities also recorded 151 suspected cases on Wednesday, including 35 deaths. Contact tracing efforts remain underway, with 6,367 people identified as contacts of confirmed cases. Of these, 4,525 individuals were successfully monitored during the latest reporting period, resulting in a follow-up rate of 71.1 per cent.

The health ministry warned that confirmed infections continue to increase each week, indicating sustained community transmission. Officials cautioned that the disease could spread rapidly to new areas if containment and public health measures are not strengthened promptly.

This is the DRC's 17th recorded Ebola outbreak and was officially declared on May 15.

Ebola was first identified in 1976 during two simultaneous outbreaks—one in present-day South Sudan caused by the Sudan virus, and another in Yambuku, in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The disease takes its name from the nearby Ebola River.

The illness typically begins suddenly with symptoms such as fever, fatigue, muscle pain, headache and sore throat. As the disease progresses, patients may develop vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, skin rashes, and impaired kidney and liver function. Health authorities have urged medical workers to remain vigilant for these warning signs as efforts continue to contain the outbreak.

With inputs from IANS

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