KINSHASA, June 4 (Xinhua) -- Confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have risen to 381, including 63 deaths, Health Minister Roger Kamba said Thursday evening.
Speaking at a press briefing in Kinshasa, Kamba said about 233 patients are currently hospitalized in health facilities, either for isolation while awaiting test results or for treatment after developing the disease.
The minister said the country's testing capacity has improved significantly following the arrival of more than 4,000 testing kits from the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and additional international support, allowing health authorities to test almost all samples received and provide results within 24 hours.
He also said contact tracing has improved from about 9 percent at the beginning of the response to 55 percent now. The target is to reach 90 percent, which would allow health authorities to identify almost all contacts and better anticipate where new cases may appear.
Kamba said the outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo virus, has so far affected three provinces, namely Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu.
The DRC declared the Ebola outbreak on May 15. Health authorities and international partners have since stepped up testing, isolation, treatment and contact tracing in the affected eastern provinces. The World Health Organization later designated it a public health emergency of international concern.
Uganda has reported 16 confirmed cases, with one case newly confirmed on Thursday, according to the Ugandan health ministry.
