ADDIS ABABA, June 12 (Xinhua) -- The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) commended cooperation with China in Africa's fight against the Ebola virus outbreak, as the number of confirmed cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda surpassed 650.
During an online press briefing on Thursday evening, Africa CDC Director General Jean Kaseya said the number of confirmed Bundibugyo Ebola cases in the DRC and Uganda has reached 654, with the death toll climbing to 129.
He warned that gaps in contact tracing across the affected areas in the DRC, particularly in Ituri Province, have posed a major challenge to containment efforts. "Many contacts have not yet been identified, and some listed contacts are not being actively followed."
Kaseya highlighted the outbreak's rapid geographic expansion, delayed detection, high mobility, insecurity, community resistance, and uneven tracing capacity among health zones as the main drivers behind gaps in contact tracing.
He also outlined a number of critical operational constraints, including unsafe burials, community mistrust, limited case management capacity, funding shortages, as well as security challenges.
Meanwhile, the director general spoke highly of the cooperation with China in tackling the outbreak, highlighting China's ongoing support to individual African countries and the continental public health agency.
"In Africa, we are working with all of our partners, and China is an important partner for Africa, working almost in all African countries," Kaseya said, adding that African countries are getting support from China through financial support, human resources, as well as the provision of public health commodities.
The Ebola virus is highly contagious and can cause symptoms including fever, vomiting, diarrhea, generalized pain or malaise, and in severe cases, internal and external bleeding. According to the World Health Organization, Ebola fatality rates vary depending on the viral subtype. ■