DR Congo declares end to second deadliest Ebola outbreak

The second deadliest Ebola outbreak in history has now been declared over by authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The declaration is happening after nearly two years since the outbreak emerged killing more than 2,200 people.\

On Thursday Congolese officials said the outbreak, east of the country was over although another wave of outbreak is being tackled elsewhere in the country.

The outbreak more than 1,000 km (620 miles) away in the western city of Mbandaka is unrelated to that of the eastern region.

That outbreak in Mbandaka was declared on June 1 and has seen recorded up to 24 cases so far, including 13 deaths.

“Compared to previous outbreaks, this last one was the longest, the most complex and the deadliest,” Health Minister Eteni Longondo told reporters.

???? GOOD NEWS ????

The 10th #Ebola outbreak in #DRC ???????? is OVER!

WHO congratulates all those involved in this tough and often dangerous work to end the almost 2-year long outbreak.https://t.co/sBP2MHh77V pic.twitter.com/3beHtHqGy4

— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) June 25, 2020

Congo has suffered 11 Ebola outbreaks since the virus was discovered near the Ebola River in 1976.

“It wasn’t easy and at times it seemed like mission impossible,” said Matshidiso Moeti, the World Health Organization’s Africa regional director.

DR Congo has been battling two deadly viruses -Ebola and Coronavirus. It struggled to end the nearly two-year-old Ebola outbreak.

It was days away from declaring an end to the epidemic when new cases were detected, pushing back the gains made.

The largest Ebola outbreak in history occurred in West Africa from 2013-2016.

It killed over 11,300 people mostly in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.