By Sofiat Adenekan-Abdul
The World Health Organization (WHO) says Ebola is still spreading in parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), despite signs of improvement in some areas.
According to the WHO, the outbreak has recorded 7,200 cases and 3,475 deaths across seven provinces as of September 12.
Olivier le Polain, head of the WHO’s Epidemiology and Analytics Response Unit, says parts of Ituri Province, including the capital, Bunia, were showing signs of progress.
However, he says the situation was worsening in Butembo, North Kivu, where new cases and deaths have doubled over the past two weeks.
North Kivu accounts for about 45 per cent of new cases recorded nationwide last week, according to Le Polain.
He describes the outbreak as still “vast”, although transmission has slowed in parts of Ituri, where the latest outbreak was first detected in May.
Meanwhile, no new Ebola cases have been reported in South Kivu since the end of May.
