TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has surpassed 1,000 confirmed cases in its first month, making it the largest Ebola epidemic in the country's history in its early stages.
Abdi Mahamud, Director of Health Emergency Alert and Response Operations at the World Health Organization (WHO), told reporters in Geneva on Tuesday that the Congolese Ministry of Health had recorded 1,048 confirmed cases, including 267 deaths, as of Monday, June 22.
"Since I last briefed you on 9 June from Bunia, the outbreak continues to expand," Mahamud said, as quoted from Antara, citing Anadolu.
After completing a month-long mission in Congo, Mahamud explained that transmission patterns vary across the affected health zones. Some regions are seeing stable trends, while others are experiencing a sharp surge in cases.
He said response efforts are continuing to expand to keep pace with the evolving outbreak. Treatment capacity has increased from just a few beds to more than 500 beds across 19 health centers in the past two weeks.
Meanwhile, laboratory testing capacity has also increased significantly, from 30 tests per day last month to more than 2,000 tests per day through eight decentralized laboratories in Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu provinces.
However, Mahamud warned that treatment centers are beginning to face significant pressure, with bed occupancy rates reaching 84 percent of available capacity.
Describing the outbreak as a "challenging and complex" situation, Mahamud said the WHO is appealing for US$115 million (approximately Rp2.06 trillion) to help slow and even stop the spread of the disease.
He also revealed that neighboring Uganda has reported its 20th confirmed case of Ebola linked to the ongoing outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
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