PRETORIA, July 4. /TASS/. The number of laboratory-confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has reached 1,502, up by 42 over the past 24 hours, the country's Ministry of Communication and Media said in its daily bulletin.

The death toll has risen to 473, an increase of 26 from the previous day. The case fatality rate stands at 31.4%.

A total of 628 patients are currently hospitalized or being treated in medical isolation units. So far, 213 people have recovered. Contact tracing coverage has reached 81.8%, with 11,360 people currently under monitoring after exposure to confirmed Ebola cases.

The current Ebola outbreak began on May 15 in eastern DR Congo and Uganda. The epicenter is located in Ituri Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.