A newly updated count issued by the UN health agency showed that there have been 1,561 confirmed cases in the DR Congo since the outbreak was declared in mid-May, including 506 confirmed deaths.
Two others have also died in neighbouring Uganda, where the situation is more stable. The country has seen 16 patients recover out of 20 total confirmed cases.
The WHO’s figures for the DRC, which come from the health authorities in the vast country, show that the outbreak there has a case fatality rate of 32 percent.
A total of 254 patients have recovered, while 354 suspected cases of the viral haemorrhagic fever are currently under investigation.
The outbreak in north-eastern DRC has hit four provinces but is heavily centred in Ituri province.
The outbreak is being driven by the rare Bundibugyo species of Ebola, for which there are no approved vaccines or treatments.
The trial of two potential treatments for Bundibugyo began in the DRC on Thursday.
The trial is evaluating the safety and effectiveness of the monoclonal antibody MBP134 and the antiviral drug remdesivir, alone and in combination.
The milestone of 500 confirmed deaths comes as WHO member states reconvene to negotiate the missing section of the landmark pandemic agreement struck last year, aimed at avoiding a repeat of the international disarray in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. (AFP)
