Kinshasa, Oct 2 (IANS): The death toll from the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has surpassed 4,000, with 4,018 deaths reported among 8,300 confirmed cases across seven provinces, the latest figures released Friday by Congolese health authorities showed.
A total of 2,162 patients have recovered, while the overall case fatality rate stands at 48.4 per cent, according to the latest update from the Ministry of Health, Xinhua News Agency reported.
The actual toll of the ongoing outbreak is likely higher than officially reported, international medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) warned Thursday. “The true toll (is) likely higher due to gaps in surveillance and case detection,” the organisation said.
The outbreak has become the largest and deadliest ever recorded in the DRC and the second-largest Ebola outbreak worldwide, after the 2014-2016 epidemic in West Africa.
Meanwhile, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) warned Thursday that a recent decline in reported Ebola cases in the DRC may reflect disruptions to disease surveillance rather than a sustained reduction in transmission, as the outbreak has claimed nearly 4,000 lives.
Speaking at an online press briefing, Africa CDC official Wessam Mankoula said that the outbreak has spread from three health zones in mid-May to 63 health zones across seven provinces, with 45 health zones still reporting active transmission.
Although the epidemic curve has largely plateaued over the past four to five weeks and reported cases declined in the latest week, the agency cautioned against interpreting the drop as a sign of sustained progress.
“Falling in this curve doesn’t mean that the outbreak is totally under control,” Mankoula said.
Insecurity and community resistance in multiple areas have hampered surveillance and response activities, raising concerns that some infections may be going undetected.
