DR Congo Ebola cases surpass 7,000, deaths near 3,400

The number of confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has surpassed 7,000, with nearly 3,400 deaths reported, according to the latest government situation report released Friday.

As of September 10, health authorities have recorded 7,022 confirmed cases, 3,398 deaths, and 1,671 recoveries across 62 health zones in seven provinces. Sud-Ubangi became the latest affected province after local authorities confirmed the death of a 23-year-old man who had recently traveled from South Kivu.

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) recently said the outbreak was spreading increasingly beyond the core affected areas. Although the outbreak's epicenter, Ituri province, has seen a recent decline in new cases and deaths, both metrics have risen significantly in North Kivu and Haut-Uele provinces.

The current outbreak, declared in May, has become the largest and deadliest Ebola epidemic in the DRC's history and the second-largest globally.

(With input from Xinhua)