Confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have climbed to 1,561, resulting in 506 deaths, according to official Ministry of Health data released late Sunday night.
The figures show a crude case-fatality rate of 32.4 percent. Currently, 628 confirmed patients remain hospitalized in isolation, while 254 people have successfully recovered from the virus.
The crisis escalated further on Sunday as frontline healthcare workers in Ituri province issued a 24-hour strike notice over unpaid benefits, severe equipment shortages, and poor working conditions.
The virus has spread across 36 health zones in Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu provinces since the government officially declared the outbreak on May 15.
Ituri province remains the primary epicenter. The region accounts for more than 91 percent of all confirmed infections and roughly 84 percent of the reported deaths.
The World Health Organization confirmed this is the largest outbreak ever recorded of the rare Bundibugyo ebolavirus strain, which lacks approved vaccines or targeted therapeutic treatments.
To combat the limitations, the WHO announced Thursday that clinical trials evaluating potential treatments have finally launched at the CME Ebola Treatment Center in Ituri.
Compounding regional anxiety, neighboring Uganda has logged 20 epidemiologically linked cases and two deaths, prompting strict border screening protocols to prevent wider international spread.
To support emergency response measures, international donors and partners have pledged $910 millio through the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
