DR Congo, WHO Declare End Of Ebola Outbreak After 42 Days, 4 Deaths

The Atlantic: How the Democratic Republic of the Congo Beat Ebola in 42 Days
“…With the last confirmed patient having tested negative for the virus for the second time in a row, the WHO declared an end to the outbreak on Sunday. Just four people had died, and just four more had become infected. This swift resolution was partly a matter of luck. … But just as importantly, once the first cases were confirmed, the response was fast, decisive, and coordinated — all qualities that were initially missing in West Africa…” (Yong, 7/3).

Nature: Ebola outbreak in Africa ends — but gaps in public health leave region vulnerable
“…On 2 July, the Congolese government and the World Health Organization (WHO) declared an end to the DRC outbreak — but public health officials caution that its low death toll doesn’t prove that the world has learnt all the lessons of the West African crisis. They credit the fact that only four people died to the expertise of Congolese officials, who had dealt with seven previous Ebola outbreaks, and to the remoteness of the northern Bas Uele province where the outbreak occurred…” (Hayden, 7/2).

Quartz: The Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo is over
“…Going forward, WHO says it will, in partnership with the DR Congo government, work to ensure that the four survivors who recovered from the being infected by the virus have continued access to health care and are successfully reintegrated into the local community without stigmatization…” (Kazeem, 7/3).

Reuters: Congo declares Ebola outbreak over after four deaths
“…Congolese health authorities approved the use of a new experimental vaccine but ultimately declined to deploy it due to the small scale of the outbreak and logistical challenges…” (Ross/Uwiringiyimana, 7/1).

U.N. News Centre: U.N. health agency declares end to latest Ebola outbreak in DR Congo
“…U.N. officials said the response was ‘effective’ and praised ‘the timely alert by local authorities of suspect cases, immediate testing of blood samples due to strengthened national laboratory capacity, the early announcement of the outbreak by the government, rapid response activities by local and national health authorities with the robust support of international partners, and speedy access to flexible funding’…” (7/3).

Wall Street Journal: Democratic Republic of Congo Declares End of Ebola Epidemic
“…The virus affected [eight] people, four of whom died, in an equatorial forest area near Congo’s border with the Central African Republic, according to the public health ministry. There were nearly 100 other suspected cases of the virus but none tested positive, according to health officials. The first victim died on April 24 but the outbreak was only confirmed as Ebola on May 12…” (Bariyo, 7/2).

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