(NEW YORK) — The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has surpassed 1,000 Ebola cases as the country’s deadly outbreak continues.
The DRC Ministry of Health reported 1,003 confirmed cases and 254 confirmed deaths as of Sunday evening. There are 365 patients either hospitalized or in isolation, according to the ministry.
Contact tracing remains a concern, officials said. The Ministry of Health said only 58% of identified contacts have been followed up with, far below the desired 90% to 95% target needed to contain the outbreak, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Bonheur Baeni, project manager for the Ebola emergency for the humanitarian NGO CARE, told ABC News that there has been a great amount of misinformation in affected communities that has made it difficult to contain the virus.
“It is in fact among the great challenges, the misinformation that is characterized by rumors, rumors that circulate on social networks, rumors that also circulate mouth-to-mouth,” he told ABC News in French. “It really makes the population resistant.”
Baeni said the group is working with the Ministry of Health and other partners to engage with the community and answer questions that people have. They are also working with trusted leaders within the community to help combat the misinformation.
“You see that it creates a climate of trust,” Baeni said. “It creates a confidence climate because it’s their brother, it’s a member of the community.”
The Ministry of Health wrote on X that “response teams continue active investigations, epidemiological surveillance, and prevention actions in affected areas.”
Health officials added that eight more people have recovered from Ebola, bringing the total number of recoveries to 100.
Meanwhile, UNICEF warned on Monday that an estimated 2.95 million children and adolescents aged 18 and under — representing 54% of the population in 31 affected health zones — are at risk from Ebola and the breakdown of essential services in the eastern DRC.
“Our teams in Ituri [province] have met children who have lost their mothers, and in some cases both parents, to Ebola,” Catherine Russell, UNICEF executive director, said in a statement. “Children are trying to make sense of the threat while surrounded by rumors and online misinformation.”
UNICEF said children and adolescents make up about 15% of confirmed Ebola cases and more than 25% of confirmed deaths in the eastern DRC as of June 19, and that children and adolescents with confirmed Ebola are almost twice as likely to die as adults
In Ituri province, which is the epicenter of the outbreak, dozens of children have been orphaned, according to UNICEF. The agency said that 135 of those children are receiving support, including psychosocial care.
In neighboring Uganda, there are at least 20 confirmed cases, in large part linked to cross-border transmission from the DRC, and two deaths, according to UNICEF. The agency said children have also been affected in Uganda, with at least one child who has tested positive and 19 children under quarantine monitoring.
“Children are especially vulnerable because they depend on caregivers and cannot distance themselves from a sick parent or sibling in the same way that an adult can,” Russell said. “To better protect children, we need sustained access, and the resources needed to reach every affected community.”
ABC News’ Dada Jovanovic and Zoe Magee contributed to this report.
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