WHO announces first confirmed Ebola recovery in DRC outbreak

The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced the first confirmed recovery of an Ebola patient in the ongoing outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

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The DRC has said that on May 27, a patient recovered and left the hospital and has been discharged into the community.

Anais Legand, a WHO official, informed reporters that a patient recovered and was discharged into the community on May 27. This marks the first confirmed recovery, though Legand noted that other recoveries likely occurred among individuals whose test results were not yet confirmed.

The patient was discharged after undergoing two negative tests for the virus. As of the announcement, the WHO had recorded 17 confirmed deaths and 223 suspected deaths in the DRC since the outbreak was declared on May 15. The outbreak has involved 125 confirmed cases and over 900 suspected cases.

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This is the first one” to be discharged from a care centre “following two negative tests.

While there is no specific vaccine or treatment for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola causing this outbreak, which can have a fatality rate of up to 50 percent, the current case fatality rate appears to be below 25 percent and is evolving. Legand emphasized that early access to care significantly improves survival rates and expressed optimism for more recoveries.

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We are expecting more people to recover.