The World Health Organization has announced the first confirmed recovery of an Ebola patient in the ongoing outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Speaking in Geneva on Friday, WHO technical officer on viral haemorrhagic fevers, Anais Legand, said the patient was discharged from hospital on May 27 after testing negative twice for the virus.
“The DRC has said that on May 27, a patient recovered and left the hospital and has been discharged into the community,” Legand told reporters.
She described the case as the first officially confirmed recovery among laboratory-confirmed Ebola patients in the current outbreak, although she noted that other unconfirmed recoveries may already have occurred.
“This is the first one following two negative tests,” she said.
According to the WHO, the Democratic Republic of the Congo has recorded 125 confirmed Ebola cases and more than 900 suspected infections since the outbreak was declared on May 15.
The organisation also reported 17 confirmed deaths and 223 suspected Ebola-related deaths linked to the outbreak.
In neighbouring Uganda, seven Ebola cases have so far been confirmed, including one death.
Legand said three of the Ugandan cases were imported from the DRC, while the remaining infections were linked cases with no evidence of wider community transmission at this stage.
The WHO official disclosed that 16 of the confirmed cases in the DRC involve healthcare workers, highlighting the risks faced by frontline medical personnel responding to Ebola outbreaks.
“It is a terrible disease,” she said, explaining that the virus often spreads through close contact with infected bodily fluids or the bodies of deceased victims.
Legand stressed the importance of early diagnosis and access to treatment, noting that prompt medical care could significantly improve survival rates.
“We can scale up optimised intensive care. We can support communities to recognise symptoms early so they can receive the level of care they need,” she added.
The current outbreak is linked to the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which there is currently no approved vaccine or specific treatment.
The strain has a fatality rate of up to 50 per cent, although the WHO said the current outbreak appears to have a mortality rate below 25 per cent so far.
The DRC is experiencing its 17th Ebola outbreak, with the deadliest occurring between 2018 and 2020 when nearly 2,300 people died out of about 3,500 reported cases.
Despite the outbreak, the WHO said it does not currently recommend international travel or trade restrictions involving the DRC or Uganda.
However, the organisation advised that individuals infected with Ebola or those identified as close contacts of confirmed or suspected cases should not travel.
The WHO also said both countries are required to maintain exit screening measures under international health regulations to help contain the spread of the virus.
