KINSHASA, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has surpassed 4,000, with 4,018 deaths reported among 8,300 confirmed cases across seven provinces, the latest figures released Friday by Congolese health authorities showed.
A total of 2,162 patients have recovered, while the overall case fatality rate stands at 48.4 percent, according to the latest update from the Ministry of Health.
The actual toll of the ongoing outbreak is likely higher than officially reported, international medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) warned Thursday. "The true toll (is) likely higher due to gaps in surveillance and case detection," the organization said.
The outbreak has become the largest and deadliest ever recorded in the DRC and the second-largest Ebola outbreak worldwide, after the 2014-2016 epidemic in West Africa. ■