More than 200 people have died from Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo nearly a month after the outbreak began, according to an African Union health agency on Thursday.

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention reported 202 deaths among 875 confirmed cases, representing a fatality rate of approximately 23 percent.

Wissam Mankoula, an official at the agency, said contact tracing remains a major concern amid the ongoing outbreak.

He noted that security challenges and limited access to certain areas have hampered response efforts by Africa CDC, the World Health Organization, and other partners, weakening the effectiveness of contact-tracing operations.