WHO confirms first Ebola recovery in DR Congo outbreak

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday confirmed the first recovery of a patient diagnosed with Ebola during the ongoing outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

WHO technical officer Anais Legand said the patient recovered on May 27 and was discharged from hospital after testing negative twice for the virus.

“The DRC has said that on May 27, a patient recovered and left the hospital and has been discharged into the community,” AFP quoted Legand as saying.

She described it as the first officially confirmed recovery among Ebola patients in the current outbreak, while adding that there may have been additional recoveries among suspected cases that were not laboratory-confirmed.

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According to WHO data, the outbreak has so far resulted in 17 confirmed deaths and 223 suspected fatalities since it was declared on May 15.

Health authorities have recorded 125 confirmed Ebola cases and more than 900 suspected infections.

The current outbreak is being caused by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which no vaccine or specific treatment is currently available.

Experts say the strain can have a fatality rate of up to 50 per cent. However, among confirmed cases linked to the present outbreak, the death rate is currently estimated at below 25 per cent, though officials cautioned that the figure could change.

Legand stressed that early access to medical care plays a key role in improving survival chances.

“We are expecting more people to recover,” she said.

With inputs from agencies