Congo reports more than 100 Ebola deaths

NAIROBI, Kenya — The number of confirmed deaths linked to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has risen to 101, officials said on Tuesday.

According to a statement by the Congolese Ministry of Information on X, a total of 550 cases had been confirmed as of Sunday. The report also stated that 309 people were in the hospital or in isolation, and 19 patients were recovering.

Ebola is a life-threatening disease. The virus is transmitted through physical contact and contact with bodily fluids. The current outbreak is particularly difficult to contain, partly because there is currently neither a vaccine nor a specific treatment for the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus.

According to the World Health Organization, to stop the spread of the disease, it is necessary to identify and monitor 90% of all people who have been in contact with an infected person.

Currently, contact tracing stands at around 64%, according to the Ministry of Information in Kinshasa.

In the Ituri region of north-eastern Congo, where the current outbreak is centred, the existing medical infrastructure is already weak under normal circumstances. An additional challenge for volunteers is the insecurity in the conflict-ridden region, where several armed militias are active.