Ebola Toll Reaches 3,639 Deaths Among 7,541 Cases as Outbreak Spreads to Seventh Province, Sud-Ubangi

DRC's National Institute of Public Health (INSP) reported 7,541 confirmed Ebola (Bundibugyo virus) cases and 3,639 deaths as of Sept 18 data, a 48.3% case-fatality rate, with 1,823 people recovered. The outbreak now spans 62 health zones across seven provinces after Sud-Ubangi was newly affected by an imported case confirmed Sept 10 — an area of roughly 240,000 square kilometers, comparable to the United Kingdom. Officials said the national case curve has reached a "plateau" after rapid growth, but cautioned that "no one can say the epidemic is under control." In Ituri, the epicenter where transmission is beginning to slow, roughly 300 new cases and 160 deaths were still recorded in the preceding week alone.