DR Congo reports 1,118 confirmed Ebola cases, 291 deaths

KINSHASA, June 24 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has reported 1,118 confirmed Ebola cases, including 291 deaths, as of Tuesday, the DRC government said Wednesday in the latest situation update on the outbreak.

The update, posted on X by the DRC's Ministry of Communications and Media, showed that 122 people have recovered, while 408 patients are under care. The case fatality rate stood at 26 percent.

Epidemiological surveillance remains active, leading to the identification of 138 suspected cases, while the contact follow-up rate stood at 77.1 percent, according to the update.

As the eastern Ituri province remains the epicenter of the outbreak, the South Kivu province has reported no new transmission since May 26, while surveillance, patient care, and contact tracing efforts continue in affected areas, said the update.

The global risk posed by the ongoing Ebola outbreak in Africa remains low despite rising case numbers in the affected region, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Wednesday.

Despite efforts to scale up response measures and strengthen disease surveillance and detection capacities, significant challenges remain, Tedros said at a press briefing in Geneva, warning that "the outbreak is continuing to outpace the response." Enditem