DR Congo announces 12th Ebola outbreak over

The Democratic Republic of Congo has announced the end of the country’s 12th Ebola outbreak. In the 1970s, the virus was detected in the country for the first time. 

The new Health Minister, Jean-Jacques Mbungani, declared on Monday that the outbreak, which has claimed the lives of six people so far, has come to an end. 

The minister said that the spread of Covid-19 had affected the response to the disease. 

“The response to this epidemic (Ebola) has been influenced by the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic which has not spared our country,” said the minister.

Butembo, Byena, Katwa, and Musienene towns were affected by the disease, which had resurfaced in North Kivu in February. 

The response to the Ebola outbreak, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), was swift and successful. The WHO says it has continued to assist the authorities by arranging vaccine doses for shipment and facilitating the shipment of cold chain equipment to Butembo. 

According to Nation Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo has endured three Ebola epidemics in the last two years, including a deadly one that killed over 2,000 people between 2018 and 2020. 

The Ebola virus is often found in animal reservoirs in the area, according to the WHO. The possibility of re-emergence due to exposure to animal hosts or body fluids from disease survivors cannot be ruled out.

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