Celebrations Erupt as Nation’s Last Ebola Patient is Discharged from Treatment Center

By Mandy Froelich / Truth Theory

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the last patient being treated for the Ebola virus has been released with a clean bill of health. To mark the positive development, cheers and dancing broke out as Masika Semida was discharged from the treatment center in Beni.

As GoodNewsNetwork reports, medical teams have been fighting to control the Ebola outbreak since it began in 2018. For two years, it has been the nation’s second-worst outbreak with more than 2,000 deaths.

Prior to her release, officials had been closely monitoring several dozen people who were in contact with Semida weeks before she began treatment. With no new Ebola cases reported within the last two weeks, UN officials now believe the outbreak may finally have ended – just in time for the Coronavirus pandemic.

Said Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Africa:

“I applaud the tireless efforts that have been made to respond to this outbreak and I’m truly encouraged by the news that the last Ebola patient has left the treatment centre healthy.”

Technically, the end of the outbreak can officially be declared once there have been no new reported cases of Ebola 42 days after the last reported case tested negative. With no new cases since being reported, the assessment seems optimistic.

The World Health Organization (WHO) claims that surveillance and pathogen detection and clinical management efforts are ongoing. They include monitoring the remaining contacts, validating alerts, and supporting rapid diagnostics of suspected cases, while working with community members, to prevent further outbreak of the virus.

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Image credit: ABC News