PRETORIA, October 2. /TASS/. The number of laboratory-confirmed Ebola deaths in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) during the current outbreak has exceeded 4,000, the country’s National Public Health Institute said.

The Ebola death toll has reached 4,018, according to its report. The number of cases stands at 8,300, with a case fatality rate of 48.4%. A total of 842 patients with symptoms of the disease are being treated in hospitals and medical isolation centers. The contact tracing rate stands at 80.6%.

The disease has affected seven of the country’s 26 provinces.

The Ebola outbreak began in the DRC and Uganda on May 15 and became the second-deadliest outbreak in Africa since records began. Ugandan authorities announced on July 28 that the outbreak had ended. The World Health Organization confirmed the information on August 25.

The first human case of Ebola virus infection was recorded in what is now the DRC in 1976. The current outbreak is the 17th in the country.