Over 100 Dead from DRC Ebola Crisis

(MENAFN) The death toll from an Ebola outbreak ravaging the Democratic Republic of Congo has crossed the 100 mark, the country's Health Ministry confirmed Tuesday — as the disease continues its upward trajectory across three eastern provinces.

Official data released by the ministry shows 101 fatalities recorded since the outbreak was formally declared on May 15, with an overall case fatality rate of 18.4%. Cumulative confirmed cases have reached 550, while only 19 patients have recovered to date — though seven recoveries were logged in the most recent 24-hour reporting period.

ITURI AT THE EPICENTER
The outbreak has now penetrated 25 health zones spread across the provinces of Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu — a geographic footprint that signals deepening community transmission across a wide and challenging terrain. Ituri bears the heaviest burden, accounting for 17 of the 25 affected health zones.

BUNDIBUGYO STRAIN ON AN UPWARD TREND
Health authorities identified the causative agent as the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, a variant that, while less lethal than the more notorious Zaire strain, remains a serious public health threat. Officials warned that the outbreak continues on an upward weekly trend, cautioning that a recent apparent dip visible in the epidemic curve may be misleading — likely reflecting delays in laboratory data reporting rather than a genuine slowdown in transmission.

Surveillance operations, case management protocols, and community awareness campaigns are actively ongoing across all affected areas, the Health Ministry said — though the scale and pace of the spread underscores the mounting pressure on an already strained public health response.

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