Mirian Gom 
ABUJA, Nigeria – The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has raised fresh concerns over the worsening Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, revealing that confirmed infections have risen to 1,274 cases.
The agency also reported that infections among healthcare workers have increased to 96.
Speaking during a webinar on the outbreak on Monday, Africa CDC Data Analyst and Epidemic Intelligence Officer, Wazih Cho, said 47 new cases and 12 deaths had been recorded within the previous 24 hours.
“In the past 24 hours, 47 new confirmed Ebola cases and 12 deaths were reported in the DRC, 96 per cent of which originated in Équateur Province,” he said.
According to him, cumulative figures now stand at 1,274 confirmed cases and 360 deaths, indicating sustained transmission in affected provinces.
Cho said Équateur Province remains the epicentre of the outbreak, accounting for 45 of the 47 newly reported infections.
He attributed part of the spread to exposure within healthcare facilities, noting that 92 healthcare workers had been infected in the DRC while four infections had been recorded in Uganda.
“For Uganda, cumulatively we have 20 confirmed cases, mostly spillover from DRC. That includes 15 imported cases, four healthcare worker infections and two fatalities,” he said.
Cho said Uganda had not recorded a new Ebola case since June 21, although surveillance and contact tracing efforts remain active.
Africa CDC also received alerts from Tshopo Province, raising concerns that the disease may have spread into previously unaffected areas.
According to Cho, epidemiological modelling indicates that the outbreak remains close to peak transmission, with additional increases expected over the next three weeks.
He said more than 20,000 community health workers have been deployed to support case detection, contact tracing and public awareness campaigns.
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