Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have risen to 782, including 178 deaths, as the outbreak spreads to two additional health zones, authorities said.
The latest situation report showed that 72 new confirmed cases, including 29 deaths, were recorded in the eastern provinces of Ituri and North Kivu.
The newly affected health zones are Nia-Nia in Ituri and Mabalako in North Kivu, bringing the total to 31.
A health zone is a local public health management unit responsible for surveillance, case reporting and response coordination.
The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo Ebola virus, was officially declared on May 15 and has affected Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu provinces.
According to the report, 359 patients were in isolation or receiving treatment as of Saturday, while 40 patients had recovered from the disease.
Health authorities also recorded 136 suspected cases, including 49 deaths, on Saturday, indicating continued transmission within affected communities.
The report said 6,275 contacts were under follow-up across the three affected provinces, but only 3,548 were reached by surveillance teams.
It noted that the overall contact follow-up rate stood at 56.5 per cent, significantly below the target rate of 95 per cent.
Authorities identified reluctance to undergo post-mortem testing as one of the major obstacles to effective outbreak control efforts.
Other challenges include inadequate capacity at Ebola treatment centres and weak contact-tracing systems in some affected areas.
The report also cited shortages of infection prevention materials in North Kivu, weak alert reporting mechanisms and a funding shortfall of 21.5 million dollars.
