More than 7 000 Ebola cases have been recorded in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where the country is battling its 17th outbreak of the deadly virus.

Figures released by Congolese authorities on Saturday show that 7 022 cases have been recorded since the epidemic began. Of these, 3 398 people have died, while 1 671 have recovered.

Despite the scale of the outbreak, the government says the spread of the disease may have passed its peak.

Government reports decline in cases

Congolese government spokesman Patrick Muyaya said on Saturday that the outbreak reached its peak in early August.

The peak was reached at the beginning of the third week of August, Muyaya wrote on X.

He said the available indicators pointed to a decline in new infections.

“Ten of the 61 health zones” affected by the epidemic had recorded no new cases for at least 21 days, he added.

However, the virus was confirmed in South-Ubangi province earlier this week. The province borders the Central African Republic and the Republic of the Congo, also known as Congo-Brazzaville.

The latest outbreak was officially detected in mid-May. It began in Ituri province in the north-east before spreading to other remote and conflict-affected areas in the east and north.

These regions have faced decades of armed conflict, limited state presence and inadequate health infrastructure, complicating efforts to contain the virus.

Ebola detected in schools in Ituri

Most of the recorded cases are in Ituri, where Ebola has been detected in schools following the return to classes after the summer holidays.

The reports have caused concern among parents and health workers in Bunia, the provincial capital.

“We are very worried because we don’t know which child comes from which family or what the health status of the members of that family is,” Angele Magani, the mother of a student in Bunia, told AFP.

“We are so scared, even though the school authorities reassure us about the health measures that have been put in place,” she added.

School official Roger Mungimbo said schools had introduced additional precautions, including mandatory hand-washing with soap.

“We have also done everything possible to have a maximum of 30 pupils per classroom,” he said.

“We regularly make the children aware that they must not touch each other” and that they should wash their hands regularly, he added.

No approved vaccine or treatment for current strain

Ebola is transmitted through contact with infected bodily fluids. It can cause severe internal and external bleeding, organ failure and death.

The disease has killed more than 15 000 people in Africa over the past 50 years.

The current outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain, for which there is no approved vaccine or treatment. Several vaccines and treatments are being tested.

While authorities report a decline in cases, the confirmation of infections in a new province highlights the continuing challenge of containing the outbreak.

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