Online Reporter
KINSHASA. – The number of confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has risen to 956, including 247 deaths, according to the latest situation report released on Saturday by the country’s health authorities.
Twenty-three new confirmed cases, including two deaths, were reported on Friday in the provinces of Ituri and North Kivu.
Ituri remains the epicentre of the outbreak, with 874 confirmed cases and 201 deaths, accounting for more than 91 percent of the country’s confirmed cases. A total of 92 patients have recovered, while 361 patients were in isolation or hospitalised.
The report also said 162 suspected cases were identified during the day, while the contact-tracing rate stood at 69.3 percent, below the 95-percent target set by health authorities.
At a press briefing on Friday, DRC Health Minister Roger Kamba said the outbreak remained in an upward phase, with more confirmed cases expected as response teams expanded active case-finding and moved deeper into affected communities.
Kamba added that the authorities will only be able to say that the outbreak has reached its peak, plateaued, or begun to decline once the weekly figures have stabilised or begun to fall. – Xinhua.
