The Ebola Outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has been officially declared over. This declaration was made yesterday in Kinshasa by the Minister of Health who was joined by the WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom, and Regional Director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti.

Prior to this announcement, the country was faced with the same Ebola crisis that killed 11,000 people in West Africa three years ago. However, the swift response from the government and the prompt support of various international health bodies, the outbreak was brought under control.

“The outbreak was contained due to the tireless efforts of local teams, the support of partners, the generosity of donors, and the effective leadership of the Ministry of Health. That kind of leadership allied with strong collaboration between partners, saves lives,” said Dr Tedros. 

The outbreak was prevalent in four separate locations in the country, including an urban centre with river connections to the country’s capital, remote rainforests, and neighbouring countries. Concerns initially grew that the outbreak could spread to other parts of the country as well as neighbouring countries.

A total of $4 million was released by WHO from its Contingency Fund for Emergencies (CFE) to fund a rapid response and scale-up of operations in the DRC. This also includes an initial $2 million that was released within hours of the outbreak being declared.

“WHO moved quickly and efficiently,” said Dr Moeti, “We also demonstrated the tremendous capacity of the African region. Three-quarter of the people deployed to respond to the outbreak came from the region. Dozens of experts from Guinea spent weeks leading Ebola vaccination efforts here, transferring expertise which allowed the DRC mount an effective response both within its borders and beyond.”

 Dr Tedros employed the DRC Government and relevant international to build on the positive momentum generated by the quick containment of the Ebola Outbreak.

“This effective response to Ebola should make the Government and partners confident that other major outbreaks affecting the country such as cholera and polio can also be tackled,” said Dr Tedros. “We must continue to work together, investing in strengthened preparedness and access to health care for the most vulnerable.”

WHO