Congo reports record one-day surge in Ebola cases as more health zones affected

The Democratic Republic of Congo reported a record one-day surge in confirmed Ebola virus infection cases late Sunday, with the total rising by 72 in a 24 hour period, health authorities said, as the outbreak spread to two more health zones.

This brought the tally to 782, since the outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo Ebola strain was declared on May 15, the Health Ministry said in the latest situation update.

The biggest rise was recorded in Ituri province with 56, the epicenter of the outbreak.

“The high number of detected cases reflects more active community surveillance. The population reports, the teams investigate,” the ministry said.

Deaths increased by 29 to 181 with a case fatality of 23.1% from 21%.

The two new affected health zones include Nia-Nia in Ituri province and Mabalako in North Kivu, bringing the total number of affected health zones to 31 across three provinces.

Some 40 people have recovered from the disease since the start of the outbreak.

The ministry said an immediate response was being deployed in the newly affected zones.

Health authorities have cited a funding gap of $21.5 million, insufficient capacity in Ebola treatment centers, weak contact tracing as well as shortages of infection prevention and control materials among the challenges affecting the response.

The director-general of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), Jean Kaseya, said on Sunday that the health body is deploying technical expertise and supporting laboratory systems, active case finding and community engagement efforts to accelerate the response to the disease outbreak.

“We remain committed to supporting affected countries until transmission is stopped. We call on partners and donors to urgently mobilize resources to strengthen the response and save lives.”