GENEVA, July 24 (Xinhua) -- The World Health Organization (WHO) declared on Tuesday that the latest Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) officially ends, but urged to extend this success to combatting other diseases in the country.
WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Regional Director for Africa Dr. Matshidiso Moeti joined DRC Minister of Health Dr. Oly Ilunga for the announcement in the capital Kinshasa.
"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," Dr. Tedros said.
The WHO chief also urged the DRC government and the international community 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," he said. "We must continue to work together, investing in strengthened preparedness and access to healthcare for the most vulnerable."
According to Dr, Moeti, in addition the quick response from the WHO and DRC authorities, the success was also attributed to the "tremendous capacity of the African region." He revealed that more than three-quarters of the 360 people deployed to respond came from within the region, including dozens of experts from Guinea who spent weeks leading Ebola vaccination efforts there, transferring expertise which will enable the DRC to mount an effective response both within its borders and beyond.
The latest Ebola outbreak, which was initially reported on May 8, was the ninth outbreak in the country's history and the largest since the West African epidemic of 2013 to 2016. Unlike previous ones, this outbreak involved four separate locations, including an urban center with river connections to the capital and to neighboring countries, as well as remote rainforest villages. There were initial concerns that the disease could spread to other parts of the DRC and to neighboring countries.
From April 1 through July 3, a total of 53 Ebola virus disease cases, including 29 deaths, were reported from Equateur province, northwest of the DRC. On June 12, the last confirmed Ebola virus disease patient was discharged from a treatment center in the province.
During the outbreak, the WHO's operations in the DRC was funded by a total of 4 million U.S. dollars from its own Contingency Fund for Emergencies (CFE), while also appealing for 57 million dollars and receiving in total 63 million dollars from partners.
