The death toll from the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has risen to 600, as health authorities reported new infections outside the provinces previously at the centre of the crisis.
Data released late Wednesday by the DRC Health Ministry showed confirmed cases had climbed to 1,759, with community transmission continuing nearly two months after the outbreak was declared on May 15.
The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the virus, has been concentrated across 37 health zones in Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu. But the latest figures showed two cases had been detected in Kisangani, in Tshopo province. Authorities said the cases were linked to the Nia-Nia health zone in Ituri.
Health officials said 750 people had recovered, while 285 patients remained under care.
The World Health Organization’s Africa office said this week that the outbreak was being driven by a growing number of community deaths and continued spread into previously unaffected health zones in Ituri and North Kivu.
Ituri remains the hardest-hit province, accounting for more than 90 percent of confirmed cases and more than 84 percent of deaths since the outbreak began.
The WHO warned that the high number of deaths occurring before patients reached treatment centres pointed to serious gaps in surveillance, referral and isolation systems.
Of 430 confirmed deaths investigated as of July 5, around 400 occurred before patients were admitted to a treatment facility, underscoring delays in detection, referral and access to clinical care.