KINSHASA, July 2 (Xinhua) -- Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) Director General Jean Kaseya said Thursday in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), that the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the country is "very serious," as over 400 deaths have been reported.
Compared with previous Ebola outbreaks in the DRC and with the West African Ebola epidemic at the same stage, the current outbreak has recorded a particularly high pace of increase in both cases and deaths, he said, as DRC President Felix Tshisekedi and his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa visited the country's National Biomedical Research Laboratory.
"The objective is to contain this outbreak where it is today," Kaseya said. "We do not want this outbreak to last two years, as was the case in West Africa."
The DRC has reported 1,406 confirmed Ebola cases, including 438 deaths, as of Tuesday, according to the latest situation update released by the government.
The outbreak is still expanding to some extent, Kaseya said, adding that the Congolese government is taking the right steps to stop transmission and bring the outbreak to an end.
He also highlighted that the DRC is not facing a single public health crisis. In areas currently affected by Ebola, many cases of cholera and measles have also been reported, placing additional pressure on the health system and humanitarian response.
