PRETORIA, October 22. /TASS/. The number of laboratory-confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has surpassed 9,700, the National Institute of Public Health, which is part of the DRC Ministry of Health, reported.

"The number of people infected with Ebola has reached 9,704. The death toll stands at 4,687, with a case fatality rate of 48.3%," it said.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Communications and Media Affairs reported that 937 patients with symptoms of the disease were receiving treatment in hospitals and medical isolation centers. The contact tracing rate for infected people is 76.9%.

The Ebola outbreak began on May 15 in the DRC and Uganda and became the second-deadliest in Africa since records began. Cases and deaths have been reported in eight provinces of the DRC. On July 28, Ugandan authorities announced that the outbreak had ended. On August 25, the World Health Organization confirmed the announcement. On October 6, Kenyan authorities reported the country’s first Ebola case. On October 20, Nigeria’s Ministry of Health reported the first confirmed case of Ebola infection in the country.