For the last month, the story remains the same terrible story. Many continue to die from Ebola. Health workers continue to be threatened either by people with irrational fears based on ignorance about Ebola or by people with evil intentions who understand Ebola well.
The WHO reports that 1,124 people have died from 1,705 reported cases. This is a mortality rate of 66%. When comparing the above graph to earlier versions, it is apparent that there is a two week lag in the reporting of new cases, so the frequency of cases is not yet declining. In fact, when comparing the absolute numbers of cases being reported biweekly, the incidence of disease appears to be on the rise.
Perhaps the only good news at this time is that the disease has not spread outside of eastern Congo. But based on the dispersion map of where cases are found, it seems clear that people are transmitting it around the area of northern North Kivu and southern Ituri provinces. It may be just a matter of time before it spreads into neighbouring Uganda.
The WHO has made available an excellent English summary report that can be found here: https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/SITREP_EVD_DRC_20190514-eng.pdf
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