The World Health Organization is appealing for increased global assistance to fight an expanding Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where transmission continues to outpace containment measures.
Despite emerging under three months ago, the current surge has become the largest ever recorded within the country.
Official figures released in the latest government update on Tuesday indicate that total recorded cases reached 3,802, resulting in 1,707 fatalities.
The vast majority of infections are localized in eastern Congo’s remote Ituri province, which represents roughly 90 percent of all cases, though health officials have confirmed additional occurrences across five other provinces.
Representatives from the World Health Organization confirmed on Tuesday that health workers are actively tracking more than 17,000 potential contacts, managing daily follow-ups for nearly 80 percent of those individuals.
Although there are currently no fully approved treatments or preventive vaccines, medical teams are conducting two post-exposure drug trials in Ituri province alongside two separate vaccine trials taking place in the United Kingdom and Canada.
