The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Monday said confirmed Ebola deaths had climbed to 101 and that the presence of armed groups was continuing to hinder response in the hardest-hit province.
The outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola was announced on May 15, though officials have since said it went undetected for weeks, leaving health authorities and struggling to bring it under control. It is unfolding in three provinces long beset by armed conflict: Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu.
In its latest situation report published on Monday, Congo’s government said there had been 35 new confirmed cases in the previous 24 hours, including 10 deaths. That brought the total number of confirmed cases to 550 and the total number of confirmed deaths to 101.
The cases have been recorded in 17 of Ituri’s health zones as well as in seven health zones in North Kivu and one health zone in South Kivu.
Mistrust and resistance have hampered the response, with on burial teams and treatment centres reported. The latest such attack occurred on Sunday, a source familiar with the government response said, with a burial team targeted at the Nyamurongo cemetery in Bunia, leaving two people seriously injured and two vehicles damaged.