Congo has officially declared the end of a recent Ebola outbreak that killed 43 people in its southern Kasai province, health authorities announced Monday. Officials reported no new confirmed cases in the past 45 days.
Ebola Outbreak in Kasai Province
The outbreak, first detected in September in the town of Bulape, affected at least four neighboring towns. Health Minister Roger Kamba confirmed that 43 of the 53 confirmed cases resulted in deaths.
“Indeed, no new confirmed cases have been recorded for 45 consecutive days,” Kamba said in the capital, Kinshasa.
Vaccination Efforts Helped Contain the Virus
Authorities vaccinated more than 27,000 people during the outbreak, including 4,000 frontline health workers. Kamba credited the vaccination campaign with helping to stop the virus from spreading further.
The World Health Organization (WHO) faced challenges early in the outbreak due to limited access and funding, which initially slowed the delivery of vaccines.
Congo’s Ongoing Challenges
This is Congo’s 16th Ebola outbreak since the virus was first identified in 1976 and the seventh in Kasai province. The country continues to face multiple challenges, including armed conflict in the east.
The M23 rebel group launched an assault in January, occupying key cities and adding security concerns alongside the health crisis.
Congo previously battled a severe Ebola outbreak from 2018 to 2020 in the eastern provinces, which killed more than 1,000 people.