Kinshasa, June 4 (IANS) Confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have risen to 363, including 62 deaths, according to figures released by the DRC government, while Uganda on Thursday reported four recoveries.

The latest developments were discussed on Thursday during an online press briefing organised by the World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Office for Africa, which brought together senior WHO officials and government representatives from the DRC, Uganda and South Sudan.

The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, was declared in the DRC and Uganda on May 15. The WHO later designated it a public health emergency of international concern, Xinhua news agency reported.

“The virus initially moved ahead of us. But we are catching up. We are already seeing progress,” WHO Regional Director for Africa, Mohamed Janabi, addressed the briefing.

Janabi said six patients had been successfully treated and discharged in the DRC, while recoveries had also been recorded in Uganda.

Uganda’s Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary Diana Atwine said the country had so far confirmed 15 Ebola cases, including 11 imported cases and four infections among health workers who treated the first patient. “Out of those, we have also discharged four.”

All the patients who later tested positive had already been placed in quarantine as identified contacts, allowing health authorities to monitor them before and after diagnosis, Atwine said.

Uganda has monitored 620 contacts, of whom 270 have completed the required 21-day observation period and been discharged from follow-up, while the remainder are still under monitoring, she said.

The country has strengthened its contact tracing, laboratory testing and emergency response systems through previous Ebola outbreaks, Atwine said, adding that laboratory results could be obtained within about four hours.

She stressed that Uganda had never exported an Ebola case beyond its borders during previous outbreaks.

DRC Health Minister Roger Kamba said expanded diagnostic capacity is helping authorities produce more accurate figures and respond more quickly in affected areas.

“What is important now is to have a good diagnosis,” he said, noting that testing has begun closer to the epicentre, allowing suspected cases to be confirmed more rapidly.

WHO officials said the DRC is decentralising the response to the health-zone level, with local coordination mechanisms, rapid response teams and alert systems being reinforced in affected areas.

Janabi, the WHO regional director, said the outbreak had once again shown that regional cooperation was essential, noting that the first case identified in Uganda had come from the DRC after the patient crossed the border to seek care at a closer health facility.

“This outbreak reminds us that regional integration is not an option. It is essential,” he said.

Janabi also warned that misinformation was complicating the response, saying health authorities were effectively fighting “two outbreaks” — Ebola itself and false information surrounding the disease.

He criticised broad travel restrictions and border closures imposed in response to the outbreak.

“Ebola is not an airborne disease. Blanket travel bans do not stop Ebola,” Janabi said, warning that such measures could disrupt supply chains, weaken surveillance and discourage transparency.

He urged countries to strengthen screening at official border crossings rather than push travellers toward informal routes where health checks would be more difficult.

–IANS

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