Congo says Ebola deaths top 100 as armed groups threaten response

Democratic Republic of Congo has confirmed on Monday that Ebola deaths had climbed to 101, with a total of 550 recorded cases as the presence of armed groups continues to hinder the response in its hardest-hit province.

The outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola was announced on May 15, though officials have since said it went undetected for weeks, leaving health authorities behind the curve and struggling to bring it under control.

It is unfolding in three provinces long beset by armed conflict: Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu.

In its latest situation report published on Monday, Congo's government said there had been 35 new confirmed cases in the previous 24 hours, including 10 deaths.

The cases have been recorded in 17 of Ituri's health zones as well as in seven health zones in North Kivu and one health zone in South Kivu.

Mistrust and resistance have hampered the response, with attacks on burial teams and treatment centres reported. The latest such attack occurred on Sunday, a source familiar with the government response said, with a burial team targeted at the Nyamurongo cemetery in Bunia, leaving two people seriously injured and two vehicles damaged.

The situation report said the presence of armed groups in Djugu, Irumu and Mambasa, all in Ituri, was continuing "to limit humanitarian access in multiple health zones affected or at risk". It added that Bunia, the capital of Ituri, was relatively calm.