A health worker hangs rubber gloves out to dry at an Ebola treatment center in Kampala, Uganda, on the 8th of last month. [Reuters=Yonhap News]

The cumulative death toll from the Ebola outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda has surpassed 1,000, just over two months since the diseases were first reported, AFP and other news agencies reported on the 22nd (local time).

Uganda, which has recorded 20 confirmed cases and 2 deaths to date, saw its last patient recover and be discharged on the 16th. If no further cases are reported by the end of next month, Uganda may declare an end to its Ebola outbreak. In contrast, the DRC is struggling to contain the spread as the number of confirmed cases and deaths continues to rise daily.

According to the DRC government, the cumulative number of confirmed Ebola cases in the country reached 2,473 as of the 20th. This represents an increase of 129 confirmed cases in just two days since the 18th.

With 999 deaths reported, the fatality rate has reached 40.4%, marking the first time the Ebola fatality rate within the DRC has exceeded 40% during this current outbreak.

The fatality rate for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, which is currently circulating, is known to be between 30% and 50%.

The governments of the DRC and Uganda previously declared the Ebola outbreaks on May 15th.

Since then, cases and deaths have surged rapidly, centered in the Ituri province in the northeastern DRC, the epicenter of the outbreak, marking the fastest rate of spread in history.

During the 2013–2016 West Africa Ebola outbreak, the largest in history, there were over 28,000 confirmed cases and more than 11,000 deaths; however, it took eight months to reach 1,000 deaths, according to the AP news agency.