Ebola cases in DR Congo rise to 710 as authorities deny lockdown rumours

Kinshasa, June 14 (IANS) The number of confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has risen to 710, including 149 deaths, the country’s health ministry said, while dismissing social media rumors that a nationwide lockdown had been imposed in response to the outbreak.

The case fatality rate stood at 21.0 percent, according to figures released by the ministry. A total of 324 patients were in isolation or hospitalized, while 35 people had recovered.

The ministry said the government, together with provincial authorities, response partners and local communities, was continuing public health interventions aimed at breaking chains of transmission and protecting the population.

Response teams on the ground are carrying out epidemiological surveillance, patient care, contact tracing, targeted vaccination, risk communication and community engagement, Xinhua news agency reported.

The ministry said no lockdown had been ordered in the affected areas and no such measure was under consideration, urging the public not to spread unverified information and to rely on official channels for updates.

In a disease outbreak update published Saturday, the World Health Organization said the outbreak in the DRC continued to evolve rapidly, with rising case numbers and geographic spread.

The reported case fatality rate was likely an underestimation, as many deaths that occurred before the outbreak was declared remain under investigation, the WHO added.

Earlier this week, a report highlighted several operational challenges, including reluctance to undergo post-mortem swabbing, insufficient capacity in Ebola treatment centers, shortages of infection prevention and control materials in North Kivu, weak alert reporting across the three provinces, and a funding gap of $21.5 million.

Two Ebola-related deaths have been reported in a camp for internally displaced people in Ituri, according to a report released by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

The current outbreak, officially declared on May 15 by the DRC’s health ministry, is the country’s 17th Ebola outbreak since the virus was identified in 1976.

An Ebola outbreak was confirmed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and in Uganda in May 2026. The Bundibugyo species of Ebola involved is one for which there is no vaccine or specific treatment, though work is ongoing to test promising candidates. The outbreak is occurring in a challenging context: humanitarian crisis and a remote and densely populated area, combined with insecurity and high population and trade movements.

–IANS

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