GENEVA, July 6 (Xinhua) -- The World Health Organization (WHO) lowered the public health risk of the current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) on Friday, from very high to moderate at the national level, and from high to low at the regional and global levels.
Having reviewed the level of public health risk associated with the current outbreak on Tuesday, the WHO concluded that the current Ebola virus disease outbreak has largely been contained.
It's been over 21 days, one maximum incubation period, since the last laboratory-confirmed case was discharged, and the contact tracing activities in DR Congo ended on June 27, the WHO said.
However, there remains a risk of resurgence from potentially undetected transmission chains and possible sexual transmission of the virus by male survivors. It's still critical to maintain all key response pillars until the end of the outbreak is declared, it added.
Based on these factors, the WHO considers the public health risk to be moderate at the national level. And in the absence of ongoing transmission and a low and diminishing probability of exported cases, the WHO has also assessed the risk to be low at the regional and global levels.
Currently, the DR Congo Ministry of Health and the WHO are still closely monitoring the outbreak of Ebola virus disease in the country.
On June 12, the last confirmed Ebola virus disease patient was discharged from an treatment center in Equateur Province, northwest of DR Congo. Before the outbreak can be declared over, a period of 42 days, or two incubation periods following the last possible exposure to a confirmed case, must elapse without any new confirmed cases being detected.
From April 1 through July 3, a total of 53 Ebola virus disease cases, including 29 deaths, were reported from Equateur Province. The total includes 38 laboratory-confirmed and 15 probable cases. No exported cases have been reported.
