The Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) Health Minister Roger Kamba says the country’s fast-spreading Ebola outbreak has reached its peak following a reduction in cases and deaths in some of the hotspots in the country’s northeast.

However, Kamba called for reinforcing health measures to end the outbreak.

The Ebola outbreak in the DRC has spread across seven provinces in the country’s east and northeast since mid-May.

The disease emerged while the country was grappling with a conflict that has displaced millions and caused many deaths.

The ongoing insecurity and community mistrust have complicated the response effort.

Health authorities, however, say cases and deaths of the deadly disease are now declining in Ituri and other provinces.

“We have started to see a stabilisation in the number of cases in North Kivu as well. What’s certain is that the peak is behind us. The other question has shown the resilience of our health system; this is the 17th Ebola outbreak, but at the same time we are facing multiple disease outbreaks like Cholera, measles and Mpox, which have put a strain on our health system,” says Kamba.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) says the disease is still not under control and has called for a scale-up of interventions. Most of the infections and deaths are still reported within communities, suggesting people are not taking the sick to health facilities early.

The latest Ebola outbreak is the 17th to occur in the DRC since 1976. Experts say it is caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain for which there is currently no approved vaccine. Scientists in the United Kingdom and Canada are conducting clinical trials for vaccines targeting the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola.

They plan to make it available for use before the end of this year.

–SABC–