10. Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo declared complete; vigilance against explosions and support for survivors must continue

Today marks the end of the 10th Ebola virus epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This long, complex and difficult outing was overcome by the leadership and commitment of the Democratic Republic of the Government, supported by the World Health Organization (WHO), a multitude of partners, donors and, above all, the efforts of affected communities from the virus.

The WHO congratulates all those involved in the arduous and often dangerous work needed to stop the outbreak, but emphasizes the need for vigilance. In the coming months, it is crucial to continue to support survivors and maintain strong surveillance and response systems to prevent potential fires.

“The explosion has taken so much from all of us, especially from the people of DRC, but we have come out of it with valuable lessons and valuable tools. The world is now better equipped to respond to Ebola. The vaccine is licensed, and effective treatments have been found,” said WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

“We should celebrate this moment, but we must resist condolences. Viruses do not take breaks. Finally, the best defense against any epidemic is to invest in a stronger health care system as the foundation of universal health insurance. “

The outbreak of the epidemic, declared in North Kivu on August 1, 2018, was the second largest in the world and was particularly challenging because it took place in active conflict. There were 3470 cases, 2287 deaths and 1171 survivors.

They were led by the Government of the DRC and the Ministry of Health and supported by the WHO and partners, a response longer than 22 months included training thousands of health professionals, registering 250,000 contacts, testing 220,000 samples, providing patients with equal access to advanced therapies, vaccinating over 303,000 people with the highly effective rVSV-ZEBOV-GP vaccine and offering care to all survivors after recovery.

The response was reinforced by the engagement and leadership of the affected communities. Thanks to their efforts, this epidemic has not spread globally. More than 16,000 local officials worked alongside more than 1,500 people deployed by the WHO. Support from donors was crucial, as was the work of UN partner agencies, national and international NGOs, research networks and partners deployed through the Global Warning and Response Network. Hard work on capacity building for preparedness in neighboring countries has also limited the risk of the epidemic spreading.

Work will continue to build on the gains made in this response to address other health challenges, including measles and COVID-19.

“For almost two years, we have been fighting the Ebola virus, WHO and partners helped strengthen the capacity of local health authorities to manage epidemics, ”said Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa.

“DRC is now better, smarter and faster in responding to Ebola and this is a lasting legacy that supports the response to COVID-19 and other epidemics.”

As countries around the world face a COVID-19 pandemic, the DRC Ebola response provides valuable lessons. Many of the public health measures that have succeeded in stopping Ebola are the same measures that are now necessary to stop COVID-19: finding, isolating, testing, and caring for each case and relentlessly seeking contact.

At DRC, community workers received training and a smartphone data collection application which allowed them to track contacts and report in real time, rather than filling out tedious paper reports. Even as violence closed cities, community workers, many of whom were local women, continued to monitor contacts through the app, which was key to stopping this epidemic.

While this tenth outbreak in the DRC is over, the fight against Ebola continues. On 1 June 2020, seven cases of Ebola were reported in the town of Mbandaka and the neighboring Bikoro health zone in Eftyur province, and the 11th eruption was declared, The WHO supports a government-led response with more than 50 staff already deployed and more than 5,000 vaccinations have already been conducted.

TKO welcomes thousands of heroic respondents who have battled one of the most dangerous viruses in the world in one of the most unstable regions in the world. Some health workers, including WHO experts, have paid the final price and sacrificed their lives in response to Ebola.

The WHO thanks a number of partners who supported the response led by the Government

Note to the Editors