Ebola outbreak spreads to new province as confirmed cases in Congo rise above 7,000

New government data released on Friday also revealed the disease has spread to a new province.

The Bundibugyo species of Ebola is responsible for the outbreak, which has now become both the largest and deadliest in Congo’s history after exceeding the 2018-2020 epidemic.

The outbreak is now second only to the West African outbreak which occurred between 2014 and 2016.

That outbreak resulted in more than 28,600 people being infected, with more than 11,000 people dying across Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

Figures released by the government on Friday showed the death toll had risen to 3,398, while the disease had spread to seven provinces. The new figures also revealed that the number of onfirmed cases had climbed to 7,022.

Read more: Congo’s Ebola outbreak kills more than 3,000, as ‘deadliest’ epidemic continues to spread

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According to officials, an Ebola case had also been identified in a new province, South Ubangi. The province is located in the northwest of the country, far from the epicentre of the outbreak.

The government also reported that a 23-year-old man who died on Tuesday had tested positive for the Bundibugyo species. He left South Kivu province in eastern Congo on July 10 and travelled abroad.

The 23-year-old man then returned to Congo and arrived in South Ubangi, which borders the Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic.

Congo’s public health institute has “revealed Contact tracing for the first confirmed case in South Ubangi province is underway,” in its most recent situation report.

Factors including a lack of operational partners, trained staff and funding are causing delays in efforts to increase the outreach of the Ebola response as the outbreak spreads geographically, according to the World Health Organization.