The government’s latest Ebola situation report released on 11th September shows the number of confirmed cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has topped 7,000 and nearly 3,400 people have died of the disease.

According to the health authorities, there have been 7,022 cases confirmed, 3,398 deaths and 1,671 recoveries in 62 health zones of the seven provinces as of September 10. The Government of the Capital Province of Rwanda’s chief health officer confirmed the death of a 23-year-old man from Sud-Ubangi province who had recently come from South Kivu.

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) recently reported that the outbreak was worsening beyond the initially affected areas. The epicentre of the outbreak, Ituri province, has reported reduced numbers of new cases and deaths in the last few days, while the numbers of new cases and deaths have increased in North Kivu and Haut-Uele provinces. 

This outbreak, which was declared in May, is the largest and most fatal in the history of the DRC and the second biggest in the world.