NAIROBI — The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Sunday that more than 1,100 suspected Ebola cases were under investigation in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, alongside 263 confirmed infections and 43 confirmed deaths, according to its director general Jean Kaseya.
Kaseya said in a Financial Times commentary that health authorities recorded 263 confirmed Ebola cases across the two countries as of Saturday. He also said 43 deaths had been confirmed.
He wrote that health officials were investigating more than 1,100 additional suspected cases, adding that earlier data from the Africa CDC showed 246 suspected deaths linked to the outbreak.
Kaseya said African health systems must respond more quickly to outbreaks and reduce reliance on external funding.
The Africa CDC said health ministers from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan recently approved a $319-million response plan to contain the outbreak.
The outbreak was declared on May 15 in Ituri Province, an area with a population of more than 100 million in the broader region and limited health infrastructure.
Health authorities have reported Ebola cases across multiple provinces in the Democratic Republic of Congo and in Uganda.
The World Health Organization has issued an international health alert and continues to support response efforts in affected areas.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus visited Ituri province and said international support would continue as health teams work to contain the outbreak.
