KINSHASA: Confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo have surpassed 7,000, with the death toll reaching 3,398, according to the latest government figures.
Reuters reported that 7,022 confirmed cases had been recorded in the country as of Sept. 10, while 1,671 patients had recovered.
The case fatality rate stood at 48.4%, according to the figures. Health authorities said the outbreak had spread to 62 health zones across seven provinces.
South Ubangi became the latest province to report an Ebola case. The patient, a 23-year-old man who had traveled from South Kivu, was confirmed to have the virus and later died.
South Ubangi does not border the six provinces where Ebola cases had previously been confirmed: Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uele, Tshopo and Bas-Uele.
The current outbreak, first declared in May, has been described as the largest and deadliest Ebola outbreak in Congo’s history. Globally, it is considered the second-largest Ebola outbreak after the 2014-2016 epidemic in West Africa.
Earlier, Saudi authorities announced a travel ban on visitors from three African countries as a precaution against the Ebola outbreak in Africa.
The Public Health Authority (Weqaya) said travelers from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan will not be allowed to enter Saudi Arabia until further notice, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
Officials also suspended all visa types for people who had stayed in these three countries within 21 days before arriving in Saudi Arabia, even if they traveled through a third country.
