The official tally, through last Saturday, was 5,514 confirmed cases and 2,642 related deaths, putting the case fatality rate at 48%. 1,200 patients have recovered.
The outbreak has spread to 57 health zones in the provinces of Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uele, Bas-Uele, and Tshopo.
The WHO said the outbreak has reached a “defining moment”, more than 100 days after it was declared, calling it the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak ever recorded in the DRC. It warned that transmission is outpacing control efforts.
"We can bring the Ebola outbreak under control but only through scaled-up action in affected communities," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, calling for sustained resources and stronger cooperation among national and local authorities, affected communities, and international partners.
