The World Health Organization has warned that the true scale of the Ebola virus outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo may be two to four times larger than official figures indicate, amid difficulties in tracing transmission chains.
The organization's Director of Emergency Operations, Chikwe Ihekweazu, said that around 80% of new infections are not linked to known cases, pointing to widespread community transmission of the virus, particularly in Ituri province.
According to government data, the total number of recorded cases has reached 1,792, including 625 deaths, with approximately 90% of all cases concentrated in Ituri province, while the outbreak has also spread to the provinces of North Kivu, South Kivu, and Tshopo.
Ihekweazu added that test results in the city of Bunia have shown high positivity rates, reflecting ongoing transmission, despite progress made in containing the outbreak in some other areas.