The death toll from the Ebola virus outbreak surpassed 200 on Thursday as infections continued to rise in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, according to an update from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), reported Anadolu Agency (AA).
Confirmed Ebola cases climbed to 875, including 202 deaths, since the outbreak was declared on May 15, with a fatality rate of 23 per cent, Africa CDC data showed.
The virus has spread across the eastern provinces of Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu, with Ituri accounting for nearly 95 per cent of all reported cases.
Meanwhile, 19 cases, including two deaths, have been confirmed in neighbouring Uganda. Africa CDC said testing capacity and digital surveillance systems have been strengthened to address detection gaps and improve monitoring efforts.
Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya warned that the outbreak could become more severe than the 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola epidemic, which claimed more than 11,000 lives in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, if transmission is not brought under control quickly.
Congo Health Minister Roger Kamba visited Bunia, the capital of Ituri province, on Thursday to assess response efforts, review operational challenges and discuss new strategies to accelerate containment of the disease.
