The number of Ebola virus cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda has continued to increase.
Based on the second weekly situation report released by the World Health Organization (WHO) as of May 24, a total of 105 laboratory-confirmed cases have now been recorded in DR Congo.
Ten people have already been confirmed dead.
On the other hand, the number of suspected cases in the country also surged to 906, up from just over 500 reported last week.
Meanwhile, suspected deaths have reached 223.
The cases were recorded across more than ten health zones in the Ituri and North Kivu provinces of DR Congo.
Uganda also logged a slight increase in Ebola infections.
From the previous two confirmed cases, five more infections were added, bringing the total number of laboratory-confirmed cases in the country to seven.
The number of confirmed deaths in Uganda remains at one.
Consequently, more than 2,231 contacts in DR Congo and 331 in Uganda are currently under monitoring.
Based also on the assessment of the international health organization, the national risk level in DR Congo is now classified as “very high.” Meanwhile, in the wider Africa region such as Uganda is under a “high” risk level.
The risk of the disease remains “low” on a global level.
It can be recalled that on May 16, the WHO declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern in both countries following the Ebola widening outbreak.
The outbreak has been linked to the Bundibugyo virus strain, a rare type of Ebola virus commonly transmitted from infected wild animals, particularly fruit bats.
As of now, there are still no approved vaccines or therapeutics for the strain.
Yet the WHO, together with local and international governments and various health organizations, continues to strengthen public health response efforts to contain the spread of the disease and ensure the safety of affected communities.
Meanwhile, several countries including the United States, Canada, and Bahrain have already imposed travel bans or restrictions in response.