The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has recorded 10,668 confirmed cases of Bundibugyo virus disease and 5,198 deaths, with transmission continuing across eight provinces, the World Health Organization (WHO) says.
In a statement on Saturday, WHO said the figures were recorded as of Nov. 3, representing a case fatality rate of 48.7 per cent.
The outbreak has spread geographically, with active transmission in 51 of the 67 affected health zones across eight provinces, the organisation said.
Although some areas have reported a slight decline in cases, transmission remains sustained and intense across the DRC, according to WHO.
The organisation said 512 deaths had been reported since Oct. 21: 335 in communities and 177 in treatment centres.
WHO expressed concern about the high number of community deaths, particularly among young children, attributing the trend to challenges with early detection and timely access to appropriate healthcare.
“No new cases had been reported in Kenya and Nigeria since the previous Disease Outbreak News, published on Oct. 23.
“However, sustained regional preparedness is needed, including cross-border surveillance, monitoring at points of entry, early case detection and coordinated response measures,” it said.
WHO also said Switzerland and the United Kingdom had medically evacuated confirmed cases involving their citizens. No new countries had reported cases since the previous update.
The organisation advised against imposing travel or trade restrictions on countries experiencing or responding to the outbreak, based on currently available information.
