The ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and neighbouring Uganda has exceeded 1,000 confirmed cases, with 254 deaths recorded since 15 May.

The Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Tedros Ghebreyesus, disclosed this in a post on the organisation’s official X account on Tuesday, noting ongoing response efforts in affected countries.

WHO said contact tracing remained a concern, revealing that only 58 per cent of identified contacts have been followed up with, far below the desired 90 per cent to 95 per cent target needed to contain the outbreak.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has warned that millions of children and adolescents are at risk from Ebola and the breakdown of essential services in the eastern DRC.

It said an estimated 2.95 million children and adolescents aged 18 and under 18’s representing 54 per cent of the population in 31 affected health zones are at risk from Ebola and the breakdown of essential services in the eastern DRC.

Executive director of UNICEF, Catherine Russell said in a statement. “Our teams in Ituri (province) have met children who have lost their mothers, and in some cases both parents, to Ebola. Children are trying to make sense of the threat while surrounded by rumors and online misinformation.”

UNICEF revealed that children and adolescents make up about 15 per cent of confirmed Ebola cases and more than 25 per cent of confirmed deaths in the eastern DRC as of June 19. And children and adolescents with confirmed Ebola are almost twice as likely to die as adults.

UNICEF reported that dozens of children have been orphaned in Ituri province, which is the epicenter of the outbreak. It also said that 135 of those children are receiving support, including psychosocial care.

According to UNICEF, there are at least 20 confirmed cases in neighboring Uganda, in large part linked to cross-border transmission from the DRC, and two deaths. The agency further revealed that children have also been affected in Uganda, with at least one child who was tested positive and 19 children under quarantine monitoring.