DR Congo Ebola death toll rises to 101 as cases surge

The number of confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has increased to 550, including 101 deaths, with health authorities warning that the outbreak continues to trend upward, News.Az reports, citing Xinhua.

According to an update released Monday, 35 new confirmed cases, including 10 deaths, were recorded on Sunday in the eastern provinces of Ituri and North Kivu. Seven additional patients recovered, bringing the total number of recoveries to 19.

Authorities said the outbreak is still showing an upward weekly trend, and that the recent slight decline observed in the epidemic curve may be due to delayed laboratory reporting rather than a real slowdown in transmission.

As of Sunday, 309 people were in isolation or hospitalized, including 116 confirmed cases and 193 suspected cases.

The contact tracing follow-up rate across the three affected provinces rose to 64.4 percent, with 5,418 contacts under monitoring and 3,489 already seen. However, this figure remains significantly below the 95 percent target.

Laboratory capacity in North Kivu remains under strain, with 183 test results still pending due to a shortage of reagents.

The current outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, was officially declared by the DRC Health Ministry on May 15.

The affected provinces—Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu—have a combined population of nearly 15 million people and are also facing major challenges linked to internal displacement and cross-border movement toward neighboring countries.

News.Az 

By Nijat Babayev