The number of confirmed Ebola infections in the Democratic Republic of Congo has exceeded 7,000 as the virus spreads into a seventh province, according to government figures released on Friday.
The death toll has risen to 3,398, while 7,022 cases have been confirmed across the country.
The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the virus, is now the largest and deadliest recorded in DR Congo, surpassing the 2018–2020 epidemic.
It is also the world’s second-largest Ebola outbreak after the 2014–2016 epidemic in West Africa, which infected more than 28,600 people and killed over 11,000 across Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
Authorities recently confirmed the first case in South Ubangi province in northwestern Congo, far from the outbreak’s epicentre in the east.
The patient, a 23-year-old man, died on Tuesday and subsequently tested positive for the Bundibugyo strain.
Officials said he left South Kivu province on July 10, travelled abroad and later re-entered DR Congo before arriving in South Ubangi, which borders the Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic.
The National Institute of Public Health said efforts were underway to trace people who may have come into contact with him.
The World Health Organization has warned that shortages of trained personnel, operational partners and funding are hindering efforts to expand the response as the outbreak spreads across a wider geographical area.
