The Democratic Republic of Congo reported this Friday that 71 new cases of Ebola were confirmed in a 24-hour period and warned of rapid community transmission of the fatal disease.
The new data, included in a daily report published by the Ministry of Health, brings the total number of confirmed cases to 452 since the outbreak of the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola was announced on May 15. There are 82 confirmed deaths.
Cases remain heavily concentrated in the province of Ituri, in the northeast of Congo, a remote region of the country with precarious health infrastructure and widespread insecurity due to clashes between armed groups.
The daily total of 71 new cases — 65 in Ituri province and six in North Kivu province — is one of the highest in the current outbreak, the 17th in Congo’s history.
‘The number of confirmed cases recorded in the two provinces demonstrates rapid and ongoing community transmission,’ the report says.
Cases were confirmed in 17 of Ituri’s 36 health zones, as well as seven health zones in North Kivu and one health zone in South Kivu, according to the report. There are also cases in neighboring Uganda.
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The director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, announced this Friday a six-month plan, worth US$518 million, to combat Ebola, calling for funding and political commitment to stop the spread of an outbreak that is already the fourth largest on record.
The strategy aims to help Congo and neighboring Uganda contain their outbreaks, while helping other countries prepare for possible cases through measures including strengthening border screening, the WHO and the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
