PRETORIA, July 25. /TASS/. The number of laboratory-confirmed deaths from Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) has reached 1,309, the country's Ministry of Communications and Media Affairs said.

The total number of Ebola cases stands at 2,973, with a case fatality rate of 44.0%.

A total of 766 people with suspected Ebola infections are currently being treated in hospitals and isolation facilities. The contact tracing rate for people exposed to Ebola stands at 73.9%.

The Ebola outbreak began on May 15 in eastern DR Congo and Uganda. The epicenter is located in Ituri Province in DR Congo. Five provinces in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have been affected by the outbreak.