The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has confirmed that the country’s latest Ebola outbreak has reached 1,307 confirmed cases, including 377 deaths.
According to an update released late Monday, the confirmed cases have been reported in the provinces of Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu.
However, the outbreak appears to have spread further. The AFP news agency reported that an Ebola case has now been detected in Hau Uele Province, which borders South Sudan and the Central African Republic (CAR). A source from the DRC’s National Institute of Biomedical Research (INRB) said the infected individual had traveled from Bunia, the capital of Ituri Province, before being diagnosed. The patient later died, according to another health official.
Authorities are currently tracing contacts and investigating the chain of transmission to prevent further spread. The emergence of a case in Haut-Uele means that much of northeastern DRC, home to approximately 15 million people, is now affected by the outbreak.
The current outbreak, the country’s 17th Ebola outbreak, began in May, with Ituri Province remaining the epicenter. Health officials say many infections have been linked to traditional funeral practices, where mourners often come into direct contact with the bodies of Ebola victims. Since the virus remains highly contagious after death, such practices have contributed significantly to its spread.
Aid workers continue to face major challenges in containing the outbreak. In addition to limited medical supplies, they have encountered resistance and mistrust from some local communities. Reporting from the Ebola treatment center in Rwampara, Al Jazeera correspondent Catherine Wambua Soi noted that several treatment facilities have been attacked in recent weeks.
“These centres have been attacked several times. Last month, tents here were set on fire by an angry mob. Some Congolese still distrust those trying to help,” she reported.
She added that health workers urgently need more protective equipment, medicines, rapid testing kits, and body bags to respond effectively to the crisis.
Meanwhile, the DRC government has imposed a ban on public gatherings in four provinces, including the capital, Kinshasa, as part of efforts to contain the outbreak. The ban was announced ahead of a planned opposition protest on July 8 against proposed constitutional reforms. Opposition leaders have criticized the restriction, describing it as politically motivated.
Source: Al Jazeera Staff, AFP and AP
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