Matshidiso Moeti, Director of the WHO Regional Office for Africa, said on the 3rd that the weekly number of new Ebola cases in DR Congo has reached its highest level since the outbreak began, and the epidemic continues to spread in Ituri and North Kivu provinces in eastern DR Congo.
The WHO Regional Office for Africa held an online press conference that day. Moeti gave an update on the progress of Ebola prevention and control efforts, stating that this Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak is the largest on record, and the situation remains severe.
Moeti said that a clinical trial supported by WHO recruited its first Ebola patients the previous day to evaluate potential treatments for Bundibugyo ebolavirus disease.
Dr. Akilimali, a WHO expert stationed in DR Congo, stated at the press conference that the Ebola outbreak in DR Congo is occurring in areas with security risks and armed group activity, which makes case identification and contact tracing difficult. In addition, some epidemic areas in Ituri province are located in mining zones with frequent population movement, increasing the risk of virus transmission.
He said that community deaths from Ebola in DR Congo account for about three-quarters of the total deaths, indicating that many patients did not enter the healthcare system in time.
According to outbreak data released by the DR Congo government on the evening of the 2nd, as of the 1st, a cumulative total of 1,460 confirmed cases have been reported in this Ebola outbreak, including 447 deaths, 595 patients in isolation or receiving treatment, and 213 recovered.