Ebola Cases in Democratic Republic of Congo Surpass 4,000

Algiers, July 8 (KUNA) -- The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo announced on Friday that the number of confirmed Ebola virus cases in the country has surpassed 4,000 for the first time since the current outbreak began. In a statement, the Congolese government said, “This outbreak has become the second largest in the world and the fastest-spreading ever.”

Separately, the National Institute of Public Health of the Democratic Republic of Congo stated in a bulletin that “the total number of cases in the country has reached 4,053, including 1,850 deaths,” adding that “these cases were recorded in five provinces: Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uele, and Tshopo.”

On another front, a report published in the journal Science revealed that “the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo began in January last year, or possibly earlier, in Ituri province,” noting that “more than 500 suspected cases were identified between mid-January and May 15.” The report pointed out that “the delayed detection of the outbreak, weak health surveillance systems, armed conflict, and shortages of vaccines and treatments specific to the circulating viral strain have allowed the disease to overcome containment efforts this time.”

It is worth noting that the Ebola outbreak in West Africa between 2014 and 2016 remains the largest globally, with more than 28,000 cases recorded in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. (End) M.R. / M.A. H.A.