Last Ebola patient discharged in Democratic Republic of Congo
- 05 Mar 2020
The 19-month-old outbreak of Ebola in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has come to an end as the last patient was cleared on Tuesday, said the World Health Organization (WHO).
The last patient got discharged from a hospital in the eastern city of Beni. The discharge makes it the first time without an active case since the outbreak in August 2018.
The hospital staff were seen celebrating that victory by singing, drumming with trash cans and dancing.
In the past 19-months the virus has claimed the lives of 2,264 people and infected almost 1,200 more. It is recorded as the second-worst Ebola outbreak in history.
So far, DRC has not confirmed any new case for a fortnight. The incubation period of the virus is 42 days, therefore, 28 more days and the outbreak would be declared over.
WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus hailed the developments as "very good news, not just for me, but for the whole world," at a briefing on Tuesday, and the U.N.-appointed coordinator for response efforts said he was stepping down to return to his job with the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Congo.
After receiving her survivor's certificate, the patient released on Tuesday, Semida Masika, said she was delighted to be headed home.
"As I am the last survivor, I say thank you very much and praise be to God,"
