Congolese authorities declare end of Ebola outbreak in Kasai

The Democratic Republic of Congo has announced the end of its latest Ebola outbreak after no new cases were reported in the past 42 days.

Congo’s health minister Roger Kamba said a total of 53 confirmed cases, 45 deaths, and 11 probable cases were recorded during the country’s 16th Ebola outbreak.

Kamba said more than 47,500 people were vaccinated. The minister especially credited frontline workers for helping to stem the outbreak.

He noted the nation is still battling other diseases, including cholera and mpox.

Congolese authorities declared the Ebola outbreak on 4 September in Bulape, in the Kasai province. It was Kasai’s first outbreak since 2008.

Health workers and the World Health Organization (WHO) coordinated to tackled the outbreak, including by setting up a new Ebola treatment facility.

They initially faced challenges in delivering the vaccine with limited access and scarce funds.

"Controlling and ending this Ebola outbreak in three months is a remarkable achievement," said Dr Mohamed Janabi, WHO Regional Director for Africa, in a statement.

"National authorities, frontline health workers, partners and communities acted with speed and unity in one of the country’s hard-to-reach localities," he added.

There have been no new cases in Kasai since 25 September, and the last Ebola patient was discharged on 19 October.

The country now begins a 90-day period of enhanced disease surveillance.