Ebola cases across the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda have risen to 894, with 204 deaths recorded in affected regions, according to figures disclosed during a webinar on Thursday.
Wessam Mankoula, Acting Head of Emergency Preparedness and Response, said 74 patients have recovered since the outbreak was officially declared on May 15.
He said Uganda’s outbreak remains relatively contained, with 19 confirmed cases and two deaths, giving a fatality rate of 10.5 percent.
He added that seven patients have recovered, and all known contacts have been traced within a single affected health zone in Kampala.
Mankoula said the outbreak in DR Congo accounts for most of the cases, with Ituri Province identified as the main hotspot, reporting 91 confirmed cases and nearly 78 percent of total deaths in the country.
He noted that insecurity in North Kivu has limited access for health responders, worsening surveillance gaps and reducing contact tracing capacity.
According to him, the outbreak has now spread across 32 health zones in both countries, expanding from a few zones in the early stages to 11 by late May and 32 by the fourth week of reporting.
He said case numbers have risen by 38 percent in the latest reporting period, although transmission remains concentrated in the original three provinces.
Mankoula warned that contact tracing is significantly below required levels, saying that for more than 800 confirmed cases, between 17,000 and 35,000 contacts should be monitored daily, but only about 6,000 have been listed.
Of those, around 4,000 are being actively followed, representing less than 15 percent of the required capacity needed for effective outbreak control.
He said containment efforts remain heavily dependent on early detection, contact tracing and community monitoring, noting that there are no approved vaccines or treatments for the Sudan strain.
Mankoula also raised concerns over safe burial operations, saying only seven of the required 49 burial teams are currently active, alongside seven of 98 needed vehicles and 84 of 540 personnel deployed.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention had earlier declared the outbreak a public health emergency of continental concern on May 18.
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