The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo remains extremely serious.
In a statement on Thursday, Africa CDC said the outbreak continued to spread despite ongoing response efforts by the country’s government and its partners.
It said that since its declaration on May 15, the outbreak had expanded from one province and two health zones to six provinces and 60 health zones.
“The affected area now covers approximately 240,000 square kilometres, comparable to the size of the United Kingdom and nearly five times Switzerland.
“The outbreak has recorded 6,206 confirmed cases and 3,009 deaths, underscoring the severity of the public health emergency,” it said.
Africa CDC said that it was working with the World Health Organisation and partners to support the government and strengthen response efforts to bring transmission under control.
(NAN)