Khaberni - The World Health Organization announced the discharge of the last Ebola patient from a treatment center in Kasai Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo, a step described as a significant achievement that paves the way for the start of the countdown to declaring the end of the most recent outbreak.
The organization stated that the recovered patient is the 19th case to be cured out of 64 cases reported since the outbreak was declared on September 4th.
The organization confirmed that the next 42 days will be critical, as the end of the outbreak will officially be declared if no new cases are registered.
Geographic Challenges and Historical Context
Although the remote nature of Kasai Province posed a challenge to the response teams, it also helped limit the spread of the virus to other areas.
Since its first discovery in 1976 in Congo, the Ebola virus has caused 16 outbreaks in the country, the most severe of which occurred between 2014 and 2016 in West Africa, infecting more than 28,000 people and causing 11,000 deaths.
The most recent outbreak before the current one occurred in 2022 and was limited to only one case.
The Critical Countdown
While no new cases have been recorded since September 25th, caution remains until the surveillance period is over.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States, the fatality rate can reach up to 90% in the absence of treatment.
Health officials hope that the Democratic Congo's success in containing the latest outbreak will serve as a model for dealing with epidemics, especially in areas with fragile health infrastructure.
The recovery of the last Ebola patient in this country opens the door for an official declaration of the end of the 16th outbreak, if no new cases are registered over the next 6 weeks.
