Ebola in DR Congo: 5,323 deaths from 10,920 confirmed cases
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on ANG
Congolese health authorities report 5,323 deaths from 10,920 confirmed Ebola cases in DR Congo, with a case fatality rate of 48.7%. Ituri remains the epicentre, with nearly 70% of confirmed cases, while North Kivu has a higher fatality rate of 54.8%, according to their latest epidemiological report published on Sunday.
The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) has caused 5,323 deaths from 10,920 confirmed cases, according to a new report published on Sunday by Congolese health authorities, reports the ANG agency. The cumulative case fatality rate stands at 48.7%. In the same figures, 2,940 patients are recorded as recovered and 1,010 people are hospitalised or in quarantine.
Ituri Province, in the north-east of the country, remains the epicentre of the outbreak: it accounts for 69.7% of cumulative confirmed cases and 58.5% of newly reported cases. North Kivu, in the east, accounts for 29.3% of new infections, with a case fatality rate of 54.8%, higher than the national average. In total, 67 of the 178 health zones, or 37.6%, spread across eight provinces, have been affected since the start of the outbreak.
This update follows the one published on 6 November, which recorded 10,532 cases and 5,126 deaths as of 1 November. The authorities call for maintaining strong epidemiological vigilance, intensifying investigations of suspected cases and strengthening contact tracing in under-resourced health zones, in order to interrupt chains of transmission. They also highlight the difficulties of the health response in Ituri, where violence is hampering the work of teams.
