The Democratic Republic of Congo has confirmed 3,200 Ebola cases and 1,405 deaths, government data released on Sunday showed, a rise of more than 40% in the death toll in just five days and a 27% increase in total cases compared to the previous Saturday.
A leading public health consultant described the virus as spreading like a wildfire, and Al Jazeera reported the outbreak has now become the fastest-spreading Ebola epidemic ever documented. The sharp jump in cumulative figures was partly attributed to the integration of previously uncounted cases from harmonised databases in Ituri and North Kivu provinces. The case fatality rate stands at approximately 44%, with 519 patients recovered and 722 still in isolation or receiving treatment.
The outbreak has now reached 48 health zones, after a new zone in Haut-Uele province reported infections this week. Contact tracing has reached only 73.9% of identified contacts, well below the 90% to 95% threshold considered necessary to contain transmission.
Uganda has reported no new cases since June 21 and its last patient was discharged on July 16, with the 42-day countdown to declaring the outbreak over now under way.
