The spread of the Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo is expanding. Suspected cases of the disease have also been identified in a new area of the country, and the number of virus victims has exceeded 600. This was reported in the latest epidemiological report released by the country's government on the evening of July 8.
According to the report, the epidemic, officially declared on May 15 of this year, has been detected in 1,759 people to date in the provinces of Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu, located in the eastern part of the country.
However, this statistics do not yet include two suspected cases recorded in Kisangani, one of the country's major cities, as the analysis samples taken for them are currently undergoing confirmatory laboratory tests.
According to officials, one of these two cases is linked to the Niania medical area in Ituri province, the initial epicenter of Ebola. The second case has no epidemiological link to areas outside Kisangani.
To prevent the spread of the virus in Kisangani, local authorities have intensified efforts to identify individuals who have been in contact with the sick, strengthened surveillance operations, and further tightened sanitary and epidemiological measures.
According to the report released on the evening of July 8, 51 new cases of infection and 20 deaths were recorded in the last 24 hours.
The World Health Organization stated that the epidemic has not yet stabilized, emphasizing that active population movement is increasing the risk of the virus spreading to even wider areas.
