KINSHASA, May 18 (Xinhua) -- Around 350 suspected Ebola cases and 91 probable deaths have been recorded in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) amid the current outbreak, Health Minister Roger Kamba said Sunday.
"We have 59 patients who are actively being treated at the moment," he said in Bunia, capital of the eastern Ituri province, cited by local media on Monday.
He said that three new Ebola treatment sites are being set up in Rwampara, Mongwalu and Bunia -- the areas considered to be the main epicenters of the outbreak -- to expand the capacity of health facilities in response to the scale of the outbreak.
Congolese health authorities declared a new Ebola outbreak in Ituri on Friday, the country's 17th since 1976. The current outbreak is driven by the Bundibugyo strain, for which no strain-specific vaccine is currently available, and which carries a high risk of regional spread.
Cases have also been reported in the neighboring North Kivu province, including Goma, the provincial capital, which is currently occupied by the March 23 Movement rebel group.
On Sunday, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak in the DRC and Uganda an international public health emergency.
International spread has already been documented, with two confirmed cases reported in Kampala, Uganda on Friday and Saturday following travel from the DRC. Both confirmed cases were admitted to intensive care units in Kampala, said the WHO on Sunday.
Neighboring countries, including Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania, have stepped up surveillance, border screening and emergency preparedness measures. ■
