DR Congo's 10th Ebola outbreak over

25 Juin 2020

Kinshasa, DRC, June 25 (Infosplusgabon) - The health authorities of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Thursday declared the end of the 10th outbreak of Ebola in the country, the second deadliest in the world.

A tweet from the ministry read: "The end of the #Ebola outbreak in Northeastern #DRC is officially announced by DRC Health Minister @LongondonEteni!

"Congratulations to the DRC govt, @MinSanteRDC & the people of DRC for this victory over one of the longest & deadliest Ebola outbreaks in history."

This is the 10th Ebola outbreak in North Kivu and Ituri provinces, the Africa Regional Office of the World Health Organisation (WHO) said.

It lauded the heroes behind the work to end the epidemic that claimed 2,287 lives, with 3,470 cases registered, making it the second-deadliest after the 2014 to 2016 Ebola outbreak in West Africa.

It said on its website that huge efforts were been made to reach this milestone almost two years after the first cases in the area were reported on 1 August 2018.

A wide range of responders: the DRC health authorities, World Health Organization (WHO), Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, UNICEF, the Red Cross movement and other international and local partners, donors, researchers and communities have worked hard to end the Ebola outbreak, it said.

"Despite facing security challenges, emergency response teams fanned out into towns and villages across Ituri and North Kivu, setting up treatment centres, tracing contacts, vaccinating people, ferrying medicines and supplies and persuading communities to join the Ebola fight," the WHO Africa Regional Office said.

The Regional Office said while the 10th Ebola outbreak comes to an end, the DRC is facing a new one in Equateur province, where the virus previously erupted in May 2018.

For an outbreak to be declared over, there has to be a 42-day period since the last positive case was tested negative and discharged from hospital.

FIN/ INFOSPLUSGABON/OLK/GABON2020

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