WHO declares Congo free from Ebola outbreak

The latest outbreak of the Ebola disease in Congo has officially been declared over, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) on Monday.

The organisation said that the outbreak affected the north-western Équateur province, with the first case recorded there on April 23.

It said that in total, there were four confirmed cases and one suspected case, all patients died of the disease.

In a previous outbreak in the province between June and November 2020, a total of 130 cases were detected and 55 people died.

However, the latest outbreak was the 14th recorded in the country of 90 million since 1976.

Between 2014 and 2016, the largest-ever outbreak of the disease took place in West Africa with more than 11,000 deaths.

Ebola infection often leads to high fever and internal bleeding, and is life-threatening.