Ebola death toll surpasses 1,000 in DR Congo, Uganda

The death toll from the Ebola outbreak in Africa surpassed 1,000 on Wednesday in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, according to health officials.

Data from the Congolese Health Ministry showed that the number of confirmed cases reached 2,473, including 999 deaths, since the outbreak declaration on May 15.

Some 737 patients were in isolation or admitted to hospitals as of July 20, while 482 recovered.

The virus has affected five provinces, including Haut-Uele, Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu and Tshopo.

Uganda, meanwhile, has recorded 20 confirmed cases, including two deaths, bringing the death toll in the two countries to 1,001.

The outbreak has taken a devastating toll on children, according to Save the Children.

Some 476 children are confirmed to have contracted the disease, with more than 189 dying since the outbreak, the international charity organization said in a statement Wednesday, citing government data.

For children already displaced by conflict in Congo, it said the outbreak has created a second crisis, leaving many feeling fearful, anxious and hopeless.

"Children in Ituri are carrying an enormous emotional burden. Many have witnessed violence, lost loved ones because of the Ebola outbreak or lived through repeated displacement,” said Babou Rukengeza, Save the Children’s Ebola Response Lead in Congo.

The Africa Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) director general Jean Kaseya reiterated an appeal Tuesday to African leaders and international partners to raise at least $1.4 billion to strengthen the response to the outbreak on the continent.

Addressing a session of the African Union Assembly in Ghana's capital, Kaseya said the Ebola response budget had risen from an initial estimate of $518 million amid the worsening outbreak.

The African Development Bank Group announced this week a grant of $13 million to support the response and strengthen preventive measures in Congo, South Sudan and Uganda.