DR Congo records more than 9,400 Ebola cases as outbreak spreads
The ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has spread to an eighth province after new cases were confirmed in Nord-Ubangi Province in the north of the country, Qazinform News Agency cites Xinhua.
According to the latest report from the health ministry, two men in their 20s tested positive for Ebola in the Wapinda health zone. One of the patients has died. Authorities have not yet identified the source of the infections.
As of October 16, the DRC had recorded 9,415 confirmed Ebola cases and 4,536 deaths since the outbreak began in May, resulting in a case fatality rate of 48.2%.
The eastern province of Ituri remains the epicenter of the outbreak, accounting for more than 73% of all confirmed cases nationwide, followed by neighboring North Kivu Province. In total, 66 health zones across eight provinces have been affected.
Declared in May, the outbreak has become the largest and deadliest Ebola epidemic ever recorded in the DRC and the second-largest globally after the 2014-2016 West Africa outbreak.
Kenya confirmed four new Ebola cases Saturday, including three health workers who treated the country's first patient, bringing the total number of infections to seven.