Kinshasa, July 4 : The Democratic Republic of the Congo reported 1,502 confirmed Ebola cases, including 473 deaths, as the World Health Organization (WHO) said the outbreak remains serious.

According to the latest situation report released Friday (local time) by DRC public health authorities, 628 patients are currently in isolation or hospitalisation, with the country recording 229 recoveries. A total of 213 suspected cases, including 63 deaths, have also been reported.

Speaking at an online media briefing, WHO Regional Director for Africa Mohamed Yakub Janabi said the situation remains serious, with transmission continuing in the eastern provinces of Ituri and North Kivu.

Janabi said the current outbreak is the largest Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak ever recorded, reports Xinhua news agency.

Pierre Akilimali, a WHO expert in the DRC, said the outbreak is occurring in areas affected by insecurity and armed group activities, making case detection and contact tracing difficult. Some affected areas in Ituri are mining zones, where frequent movement of people from outside has increased the risk of virus transmission.

The WHO said Thursday that a clinical trial had begun enrolling patients in the DRC to evaluate potential treatments for Ebola disease caused by the Bundibugyo virus, for which there is currently no approved vaccine or specific treatment.

Meanwhile, Benjamin Sensasi, a WHO expert in Uganda, said the country had reported 20 confirmed cases as of Thursday, including 15 imported cases. The remaining five locally infected people were all detected while in quarantine, and no community transmission has been observed.

Uganda and the DRC have established a joint cross-border response mechanism and signed a memorandum of understanding, under which the two countries will share surveillance information and strengthen screening and treatment capacity in border areas, Sensasi said.

/IANS