The Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has raised the number of deaths to 1,887 and confirmed Ebola cases to 4,120 on Sunday due to the outbreak that was declared in the east of the country on May 15.
According to the latest bulletin published by the Congolese Ministry of Communication, with data collected up to August 6, the fatality rate is currently 45.8 per cent.
No cases of Ebola have been detected among passengers on a river boat that was placed in quarantine near Kinshasa, health authorities have stated.
The confirmation announced on Saturday eased concerns that the rare Bundibugyo virus might spread to the Congolese capital.
More than 200 boat passengers were placed in quarantine on Thursday in the port of Maluku, 65 kilometers from Kinshasa, after one traveler who was previously aboard the boat died with symptoms matching the Ebola virus, AP reported.
The National Institute of Biomedical Research, which is responsible for testing, said that all suspected cases tested negative for Bundibugyo. It urged the population of Kinshasa to remain calm.
WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus called for an urgent strengthening of the response, warning of the accelerating spread of the virus.
On May 17, WHO officially declared the Ebola outbreak caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus strain a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).
Following this declaration, on June 5, the WHO, in partnership with the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), launched a joint $518 million continental preparedness and response plan.
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