Ebola death toll tops 1,400 in DR Congo

The death toll from the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has surpassed 1,400, official data showed on Monday, as authorities warned that the caseload is nearing the country's largest recorded outbreak.

The Health Ministry said the number of infections recorded since the 17th outbreak was declared in mid-May had reached 3,200, including 1,405 deaths.

The ministry said 773 patients were in isolation or hospital as of July 25, while 571 had recovered.

The virus has spread across five provinces -- Haut-Uele, Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu and Tshopo.

Health authorities said surveillance, diagnostic, case management and contact tracing activities were continuing to contain the spread of the disease.

The current outbreak is 270 cases short of the country's 10th Ebola outbreak, which affected North Kivu and Ituri provinces between August 2018 and June 2020.

During that outbreak, health authorities recorded 3,470 cases, including 2,287 deaths, according to official data.

Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director General Jean Kaseya said on Saturday that immediate measures had been agreed with Congolese Prime Minister Judith Suminwa to strengthen the Ebola response, protect frontline health workers and address critical operational gaps.

Last week, Kaseya renewed an appeal to African leaders and international partners to raise at least $1.4 billion to strengthen the response to the Ebola outbreak across the continent.

He told a session of the African Union Assembly in Accra that the response budget had risen from an initial estimate of $518 million as the outbreak worsened.