The number of confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) had surpassed 7,000, with nearly 3,400 deaths reported, according to the latest government situation report released on Friday.

As of Thursday, health authorities had recorded 7,022 confirmed cases and 3,398 deaths, putting the case fatality rate at 48.4 percent. A total of 1,671 patients have recovered.

The outbreak has now affected 62 health zones across seven provinces in the country. Sud-Ubangi became the latest affected province after a case was confirmed there, local authorities said Thursday. The patient, a 23-year-old man with a travel history from South Kivu province, was reported dead.

Sud-Ubangi does not border any of the six provinces where confirmed Ebola cases had previously been reported, namely, Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uele, Bas-Uele and Tshopo.

The current outbreak, declared on May 15, has become the largest and deadliest in DR Congo's history and the second largest globally -- trailing only the 2014-2016 West Africa epidemic, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Aug 12.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

Bunia, Ituri Province, DR Congo - Aug 26, 2026 (UNifeed - No access Chinese mainland/Not for sale)

1. Aerial shots of Ebola Treatment Center at Evangelical Medical Center

2. Health worker in personal protective equipment taking care of patient

3. Health worker in personal protective equipment cleaning floor

4. Various of health worker taking off personal protective equipment

5. Various of health worker, medical equipment

6. Ebola patient

Ituri Province, DR Congo - August 2026 (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)

7. Various of medical worker working in ward

8. Various of medical worker disinfecting others

FILE: Bunia City, Ituri Province, DR Congo - June 2026 (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)

9. People outside Ebola treatment center

10. People washing hands

FILE: Ituri Province, Democratic Republic of Congo - July 24-25, 2026 (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)

11. Poster for Ebola prevention

12. Various of people having body temperature checked

13. Pedestrians; traffic