DR Congo Ebola cases cross 6,700 as hunger crisis deepens in Ituri

The Democratic Republic of the Congo has recorded 6,757 confirmed Ebola cases, with 3,267 deaths attributed to the outbreak, according to data released by the country's National Institute of Public Health. The figures point to a fatality rate of roughly 48.3 percent.

In a single 24-hour period, 71 new infections and 41 deaths were logged, while 27 patients recovered, taking total recoveries to 1,590.

The outbreak has now reached 61 health zones spread across six provinces — Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uele, Bas-Uele and Tshopo. Ituri Province remains the centre of the crisis, accounting for about 80 percent of all confirmed cases.

Containment efforts are being further strained by a severe hunger crisis in eastern DR Congo. The World Food Programme warned that food insecurity is compounding the difficulty of reining in the disease.

David Stevenson, the WFP's Country Director for the DR Congo, pointed to the situation in Ituri, where more than half a million people are facing severe food insecurity. He described the conditions as one notch short of mortality from starvation.

Stevenson said hunger erodes people's willingness and ability to follow health protocols. He also noted that many Ebola patients, especially those in remote areas, lose their chance of survival because they are too far from treatment centres.

The WFP has called on the international community to step up financial support, build additional treatment facilities and deliver food assistance to remote communities. It advocates a combined approach that pairs food aid with medical services and community-based prevention work to bring the outbreak under control.