The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) says the worsening Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has reached 1,274 confirmed cases.

The agency also said infections among healthcare workers have risen to 96.

Wazih Cho, Data Analyst and Epidemic Intelligence Officer at Africa CDC, disclosed this on Monday during a webinar on the Ebola outbreak.

“In the past 24 hours, 47 new confirmed Ebola cases and 12 deaths were reported in the DRC, 96 per cent of which originated in Équateur Province,” he said.

“Cumulative figures now stand at 1,274 confirmed cases with 360 deaths, indicating sustained transmission at the provincial level.”

He said Équateur Province accounted for 45 of the 47 new cases reported, making it the leading hotspot of transmission on the continent.

Mr Cho attributed the spread partly to exposure in health facilities, noting that 92 healthcare workers had been infected in the DRC and four in Uganda, bringing the total to 96.

According to him, confirmed cases have now been reported in 35 health zones across the DRC, indicating widespread transmission beyond the initial epicentre.

“For Uganda, cumulatively we have 20 confirmed cases, mostly spillover from DRC. That includes 15 imported cases, four healthcare worker infections, and two fatalities.

“All Uganda cases are classified under Kampala. Contact follow-up in Uganda stands at 100 per cent, with only nine contacts still under active monitoring. Case fatality in Uganda as of day 27 is 10 per cent,” he said.

Mr Cho said Uganda had recorded no new Ebola case since 21 June, although active surveillance remained in place.

More cases

He added that 23 of the 36 health areas in Équateur Province had confirmed cases, confirming sustained community transmission within the province.

According to him, North Kivu, which borders Équateur and Uganda, is also reporting cases, while South Kivu has recorded no new infections for at least 30 days after reporting three cases.

Mr Cho added that Africa CDC also received alerts on 28 June from Tshopo Province, which borders Ituri Province and South Sudan.

He said two confirmed male cases recorded between 9 June and 23 June suggested the outbreak had spread into a previously unaffected province.

According to Cho, the epidemic curve indicates that the first positive case was detected late, after community transmission had already begun.

He said seven-day and three-day moving averages showed the outbreak remained at or near peak transmission, with modelling projecting additional case increases over the next three weeks.

Mr Cho added that a small number of health zones accounted for about 80 per cent of confirmed cases, while several treatment centres were operating above capacity.

He said more than 20,000 community health workers had been mobilised to strengthen case detection, contact tracing and community sensitisation efforts.

In his remark, Oyewale Tomori, former President of the Nigeria Academy of Science, commended Africa CDC and the World Health Organisation (WHO) for working collaboratively in responding to the outbreak.

Mr Tomori described the One Health approach as an integrated strategy recognising the close links between human, animal and environmental health.

He said that about 70 per cent of emerging infectious diseases were zoonotic, spreading from animals to humans.

READ ALSO: Nigeria responds with emergency funds as Ebola death toll rises in DRC

“Ebola, SARS, and other viruses reflect this animal-human interface, with diverse modes of transmission and host species,” he said.

Mr Tomori identified deforestation, urban expansion, mining, conflict-driven migration, bushmeat trade, climate change and weak public health systems as major drivers of emerging infectious diseases.

He emphasised that stronger surveillance, early detection and coordinated response systems were essential to preventing and containing outbreaks before they escalated.

Mr Tomori said One Health required veterinarians, physicians, social scientists, engineers and economists to work together to achieve effective outbreak prevention and response.

(NAN)

The vice presidential candidate of the Nigerian Democratic Congress, NDC, Rabiu Kwankwaso, has urged the teaming supporters of the party, particularly those affiliated with the Obident and Kwankwasiyya movements, to remain calm and await further action from the party.

Kwankwaso, a former presidential candidate of the New Nigerian Peoples Party, NNPP, made this statement during an interview that was posted on X on Wednesday.

DAILY POST reported that a ruling delivered by Justice Isa H. Dashen at the Lokoja Judicial Division effectively overturned the court’s earlier judgment from December 10, 2025, which had mandated the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to register the NDC.

The court explained that the previous ruling was annulled due to its impact on the legal rights of the Peace Movement Party, which asserted ownership of the logo utilized by the NDC but was not included as a party in the initial lawsuit.

The National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee of INEC, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, stated on Saturday that the commission is awaiting the official documentation before finalizing its response.

Speaking, Kwankwaso expressed disappointment that the court would base its decision on a lawsuit from a non-existent entity, the Peace Movement Party, to invalidate its prior ruling that required INEC to register the NDC.

“Anyone who examines the logo submitted to INEC[by the NDC] which features a victory sign with fingers, will see that it is entirely distinct from that of the APC. Therefore, as stipulated by law and the Constitution, the members of the NDC approached the High Court in Lokoja last December, and the court’s ruling, as anticipated, was that INEC should register the party since there was no significant similarity that would warrant the rejection of the application.

“From the end of December to date is six months. INEC did not appeal[the judgement] In the contrary, they decided to register the party. Meaning they did the right thing, and INEC has been attending all the programmes at all levels, ranging from the congresses to the national convention, and even the special convention that we held recently were all witnessed by INEC. 

“To our disappointment, we only heard that a group that applied for registration, also with INEC, which was rejected, went to the same court to the same judge and requested that our party be deregistered, and it was a very huge shocker to us as members, and even other well-meaning political parties, brothers and sisters, within and outside the country. It was a very big shock that the same judge in the same court decided to reverse himself because of some people who are not representing any registered party and who are not representing any registered or known organization in this country, just from the blues the same judge decided to reverse himself.

“As law-abiding people in this country, what we’ve decided, of course, is to go to court as soon as possible. I believe this coming Monday to make sure that the stakeholders are being asked to stay any action, and of course appeal so that the registration will be restored 

“So this is the opportunity to appeal to our supporters across the country and beyond, especially the young men and women who are in the NDC, our supporters in Kwankwasiyya and Obidient across the country to wait because we believe that good reason will prevail.”