DR Congo says 14th Ebola outbreak is over

By James Tasamba

KIGALI, Rwanda (AA) - The Democratic Republic of the Congo on Monday declared an end to the latest Ebola outbreak.

DR Congo announced the 14th outbreak on April 23 after detecting the Ebola virus in the Mbandaka city of the northwestern Equateur province.

In all, four confirmed cases and one probable case were recorded, all of whom died in the latest outbreak, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

“Thanks to the robust response by the national authorities, this outbreak has been brought to an end swiftly with the limited transmission of the virus,” Matshidiso Moeti, WHO regional director for Africa, said in a statement.

“Crucial lessons have been learned from the past outbreaks and they have been applied to devise and deploy an ever more effective Ebola response,” she added.

DR Congo has now recorded 14 Ebola outbreaks since 1976, six of which have occurred since 2018.

Moeti noted that Africa is seeing an increase in Ebola and other infectious diseases that jump from animals to humans impacting large urban areas, which calls for more vigilance.

“We need to be ever more vigilant to ensure we catch cases quickly. This outbreak response shows that by bolstering preparedness, disease surveillance, and swift detection, we can stay a step ahead,” she said.

It was the third outbreak in Equateur province since 2018 and the country's 14th overall.

In the previous outbreak in the province that lasted from June to November 2020, there were 130 confirmed cases and 55 deaths, WHO data shows.

The just-ended outbreak saw a total of 2,104 people vaccinated, including 302 contacts and 1,307 frontline workers.

To facilitate the vaccination rollout, an ultra-cold chain freezer was installed in Mbandaka which allowed for vaccine doses to be stored locally and safely and delivered effectively.

In 2018-2020, the most-deadly outbreak killed nearly 2,300 people, the second-highest toll recorded in the history of hemorrhagic fever.