The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has become the deadliest on record, with government figures showing more than 2,300 people have died from the virus.
According to data released by the government on Monday, the outbreak has claimed 2,325 lives among nearly 5,000 confirmed cases.
The death toll has surpassed that of the 2018–2020 Ebola outbreak in North Kivu, which killed nearly 2,300 people from more than 3,300 confirmed cases.
Health authorities and aid agencies are racing to contain the latest outbreak, but efforts to trace people who may have been exposed to the virus are struggling to keep pace with its spread.
Officials say as many as 70 percent of newly confirmed cases are being identified among people who were not previously listed as contacts of known Ebola patients.
This raises concerns that infected people may have interacted with others before being identified, potentially allowing the virus to spread further through communities.
The response has also been complicated by insecurity in Ituri province, which is at the centre of the outbreak. Fighting, population movements and difficult terrain have made it challenging for surveillance and response teams to reach some affected communities.
Health workers are therefore facing significant obstacles in tracking infections, monitoring contacts and ensuring patients receive timely treatment.
The United Nations said on Friday that it had released an additional $30 million in emergency funding to support efforts to contain the outbreak and strengthen the humanitarian and health response.
Authorities and international partners are now intensifying surveillance, contact tracing and other containment measures as they seek to slow the spread of the virus and prevent the outbreak from claiming more lives. (AFP)
