The number of confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has risen to 7,200, while the death toll has reached 3,475 as the outbreak continues to spread across the country.

According to the latest figures released by the Ministry of Health, the outbreak has now affected 62 health zones in seven provinces.

Since the beginning of the outbreak, 7,200 cases have been confirmed, 3,475 people have died and 1,712 patients have recovered.

The case fatality rate has been updated to 48.3 per cent.

Health authorities said surveillance and response activities are continuing in Ituri and North Kivu provinces, the epicentre of the outbreak, as well as in newly affected and high-risk areas.

Medical teams are continuing case detection, contact tracing, laboratory testing and community awareness campaigns in an effort to contain the spread of the virus.

Ebola virus disease is a severe and often fatal haemorrhagic fever that was first identified in 1976 during simultaneous outbreaks in Nzara, Sudan, and Yambuku in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The disease was named after the nearby Ebola River, close to the village where one of the first recorded outbreaks occurred.

The current outbreak was officially declared in the DRC on 15 May after authorities reported 246 suspected cases and 65 deaths in the eastern province of Ituri.

The World Health Organization and international health partners continue to support Congolese authorities in surveillance, treatment, vaccination and outbreak response efforts as they seek to prevent further spread of the disease.(ILKHA)