DRC Ebola death toll rises to 399, cases surpass 1,300

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has updated the toll from the ongoing Ebola outbreak, reporting 399 deaths and 1,333 confirmed cases since the epidemic was declared on May 15. The Ministry of Communication and Media stated that as of June 29, the case fatality rate is approximately 29.7%, with 609 individuals currently hospitalized or under isolation.

Response operations are continuing, focusing on strengthening healthcare, surveillance, and community engagement, alongside robust contact tracing efforts. The outbreak initially emerged in the Ituri province, bordering Uganda and South Sudan, but has since spread to the neighboring eastern provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu. Contact tracing success rates have reached 82.7%, with 189 people having recovered from the virus.

The epidemic has also crossed borders, with Uganda reporting 20 confirmed cases, including 15 cases considered imported from the DRC, resulting in two deaths. France has also confirmed its first case, a doctor returning from a mission in the DRC.

This outbreak corresponds to the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, which has a historically high fatality rate of 30-50% and for which no authorized vaccine or specific treatment exists. The World Health Organization (WHO) has classified the risk of further spread in sub-Saharan Africa as 'high' while deeming the global risk 'low'. The WHO estimates the virus began circulating in Ituri about two months before the official declaration and declared it a 'public health emergency of international concern' on May 17. This epidemic is now considered the third-worst in recorded history, following the West Africa outbreak (2014-2016) that caused approximately 11,000 deaths and the eastern DRC outbreak (2018-2020) which resulted in 2,299 deaths.

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The Government underlined that 'response operations continue with the reinforcement of healthcare, surveillance and community mobilization', as well as 'contact tracing'.