The number of confirmed Ebola cases in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has exceeded 1,000, health officials reported on Sunday, as ongoing violence and mass displacement continue to undermine containment efforts.

The DRC's Ministry of Health stated that 1,003 people have been infected and 254 have died since the outbreak was declared on May 15 in the northeastern Ituri province. A total of 100 patients have recovered, while at least 365 remain hospitalized or in isolation.

The outbreak is caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain, for which there is no approved vaccine or specific treatment. It is the country's worst on record in its first month. Officials acknowledge that many infections likely go undetected and that the peak may still be ahead.

Contact tracing has reached only about 55% of those potentially exposed, leaving significant gaps in the response. Dr. Jean Kaseya, director general of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, told The Associated Press: "If you want to control an outbreak, you must know the index case. We don’t have confidence in when this outbreak started."

Violence is hampering access to affected communities. Attacks by the ISIL-linked Allied Democratic Forces in Ituri have cut off villages and forced thousands to flee into overcrowded camps. At the Kigonze displacement camp near Bunia, which shelters over 20,000 people, officials reported 10 unexplained deaths last week.

"If a disease were to spread among the thousands of people living here, it would be a real catastrophe," warned Charite Banza, a civil society leader in Ituri.

Source: www.aljazeera.com