DR Congo declares end of latest Ebola epidemic

Gulf Today Report

The Democratic Republic of Congo on Wednesday declared the end of an Ebola outbreak in the west of the country that infected 130 people and killed 55 over the past five months.

Health Minister Eteni Longondo said "I am happy to solemnly declare the end of the 11th epidemic of the Ebola virus in Equateur province" in the vast country's northwest.

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The outbreak emerged in June, just before Congo declared the end of a separate Ebola epidemic in the east that was the second-deadliest on record, killing more than 2,200 people.

DR Congo suffers 11 Ebola outbreaks since the virus was discovered near the Ebola River in 1976.

The World Health Organization said the latest outbreak had killed 55 people among 119 confirmed and 11 probable cases since it began in June.

Congo has suffered 11 Ebola outbreaks since the virus was discovered near the Ebola River in 1976, more than double any other country.

As during the previous epidemic in the east of the country, the wide use of vaccinations helped curb the disease, the WHO said.

That outbreak, which began in August 2018, was the country's deadliest ever with 2,277 deaths.

The latest epidemic of the haemorrhagic fever occurred as the previous outbreak was not officially over and the country had taken measures since late March to combat the coronavirus.

"There remains a high risk of a resurgence," the minister said.