💉 Congo free from Ebola
The last patient treated for Ebola in Congo-Kinshasa has been discharged, reports the WHO. The major Ebola crisis in the country may be over.
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The latest outbreak of Ebola in the Congo infected 3300 people, of which 65 percent died. But if no new cases occur within a month, then this outbreak is over.
WHO published a video about the latest success, when the last patient left the hospital.
An emotional day in #Beni #DRC as Masiko, the last #Ebola patient in DRC leaves the Ebola treatment centre in #Beni! Our @WHO team was delighted to share this victory with Masiko, @MinSanteRDC, our partners, & the people of Beni. pic.twitter.com/2OQ1N14x1e
— WHO African Region (@WHOAFRO) March 3, 2020
Ebola has ravaged Congo for a long time, with the first outbreak in the 1970s. Recently, a vaccine against Ebola was approved, which may be the beginning of the end for the deadly virus.
"This is great news that will change Ebola prevention in the future and protect the vulnerable," said the WHO Director General of the vaccine.
The vaccine, which protects against the Zaire species of Ebola, was designed at Canada’s National Microbiology Laboratory with funding from the U.S. government’s Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority. Dr. Heinz Feldmann led the research.
For years Feldmann worried neither this nor any other Ebola vaccine would be made, because there isn’t a traditional market for such a product. Outbreaks are sporadic and typically occur in countries that cannot afford to pay the prices that might be attached to a vaccine that is sold in limited numbers of doses.