The World Health Organization announced that last patient treated for Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been discharged on Tuesday.
The good news brought the 19-month outbreak closer than ever to an end. The hospital staff celebrated the patient’s release, as well as the fact that there have been no active cases since the outbreak was declared in 2018.
Since then, the virus killed 2,264 people and infected nearly 1,200 more. The only outbreak that was deadlier was the one in 2013-16 in West Africa, which killed more than 11,000 people.
The maximum incubation period for the virus is 21 days. The outbreak will be declared over once two incubation cycles, or 42 days, have passed without a new case. So far, 14 days have passed without new cases.
Since the outbreak was first declared, the European Union has provided wide-ranging support to fight the disease, including humanitarian assistance, experts assistance, and support for the health sector in the country.
The UN-appointed coordinator for response efforts announced he was stepping down to return to his job with the UN peacekeeping mission in the DR Congo.
DR Congo's last Ebola patient discharged
EPA-EFE/SALYM FAYAD
Health workers work at the treatment center set up at the Goma General hospital in Goma, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, 18 July 2019. The World Health Organization (WHO) on 18 July announced that the Ebola epidemic is a public health emergency of international concern.
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