Two more provinces affected as DR Congo Ebola outbreak remains ‘very active’: Health Minister

Kinshasa, July 9 (IANS) The ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has now affected the provinces of Tshopo and Haut-Uele, as the epidemic remains in a “very active” phase, Health Minister Roger Kamba said on Thursday.

Health authorities have observed patients moving from affected areas toward Kisangani, the capital of Tshopo Province, and the Wamba area in Haut-Uele Province, bringing the two provinces into the scope of the outbreak response, Kamba said in Bunia, the provincial capital of Ituri, which is the epicentre of the outbreak.

“We are still in an active, even very active, phase of the disease,” Kamba said while reviewing the national response. Given the high population density, strong mobility, and local factors complicating community engagement in affected areas, he said it was still impossible to determine when the outbreak would reach its peak.

Kamba made the comments in a video provided Thursday by the health ministry during his visit to Bunia, capital of the eastern Ituri Province, Xinhua news agency reported.

According to Kamba, Ituri remains in an acute growth phase of the outbreak, while North Kivu Province is also still seeing an active increase in cases. The spread to additional areas, he said, underscores the need to strengthen surveillance at entry points and checkpoints, and to limit high-risk movements as much as possible.

He added that the outbreak could soon be declared over in South Kivu Province, which has reported no new cases since May 26, according to a situation report released Wednesday.

The death toll in DRC due to the outbreak has reached 600, with 1,759 confirmed cases reported, according to the country’s health authorities.

A total of 750 patients are currently in isolation or hospitalisation, with an overall bed occupancy rate of 94 per cent, health authorities said in an update released late Wednesday.

–IANS

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