The number of Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo now exceeds 2,000, according to the Congolese Ministry of Health in its Monday update.

There are 14 new confirmed cases, half of them at Mabalako, adding to a count that now reaches 2,008 including 94 probable cases in the total. Another 281 suspected cases are under investigation.

Mabalako also saw four new fatalities as its death toll reached 174. A fourth of all new cases in the past three weeks have occurred in the health zone in North Kivu province, with the DR Congo’s overall death toll at 1,346.

“The bar of 2,000 cases was passed Sunday,” the Ministry of Health said. “Despite this course, the developments in recent weeks are positive although vigilance remains in place.”

Among those hopeful signs is a decrease in armed attacks on Ebola response workers.

“Although threats against the response remain high, the reduction in targeted attacks has allowed teams to catch up with the spread of the epidemic,” the ministry said. “However, the security situation remains volatile and unpredictable. With respect to incidents of reluctance or community resistance, the majority of these incidents are resolved through the involvement of community leaders, sensitizers and psychosocial experts.”

The ministry also noted the containment of Ebola’s spread to the affected North Kivu and Ituri zones. More than half of the affected zones have now gone more than 21 days without new cases reported.

“To date, no cases of Ebola have crossed the borders of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the epidemic has not spread to the most risky major urban centers, namely Goma, Bunia and Kisangani,” the ministry added. “However, the risk remains high given the significant movement of the population.”

Image: WHO file