The World Health Organization (WHO) indicated on Friday that 906 suspected cases of Ebola had been recorded in the Democratic Republic of Congo, including 223 suspected deaths currently under investigation.
An outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus is ongoing in the Democratic Republic of Congo, while several cases have also been reported in Uganda.
The WHO reports 125 confirmed cases of Ebola in the DRC, including 17 deaths, in the provinces of Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu. In Uganda, seven cases have been confirmed, three of which were imported from the DRC, with one death recorded. The organization specifies, however, that no community transmission has been detected in Uganda.
According to the WHO, the outbreak in eastern DRC likely began about two months ago. This outbreak of the disease, for which there is currently no vaccine, has been declared a public health emergency of international concern.
Experts say they are concerned that the virus has circulated for a long time undetected in a densely populated area, complicating contact tracing and the isolation of infected individuals.
Anaïs Legand, a member of the team in charge of high-risk pathogens within the WHO's health emergency management program, said that the mortality rate among infected people was estimated to be between 30% and 50%.
"This is huge. It means that up to five out of ten people are at risk of dying," she said, while specifying that these figures remain preliminary and require further investigation.
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