Congo: The Ebola outbreak in Congo, which has spread across parts of Africa, has claimed more than 200 lives in its first month, marking it as the most severe outbreak at this stage, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).

According to Emirates News Agency, Ebola cases have surged by 38% since last week, affecting 32 health zones in eastern Congo. The Africa CDC reported that the current outbreak, with 894 confirmed cases so far, is significantly more severe than Uganda's previous Ebola outbreak in 2000, which had 281 confirmed cases at the same stage.

Contact tracing efforts are facing challenges due to the remote locations of the outbreak zones, along with funding and personnel shortages and displacement issues, as explained by Dr. Wessam Mankoula, a medical epidemiologist at Africa CDC. Only 4,000 individuals have been identified and are being evaluated for potential exposure.

Africa CDC reported that only 74 patients have recovered from the disease so far. Dr. Mankoula expressed concern over the decreasing number of contacts being monitored, noting that only 4,112 individuals are currently under follow-up, compared to an estimated 35,000 people believed to have been exposed to infected patients. He emphasized that health authorities are still far from bringing the situation under control.