WHO Declares End to Ebola Outbreak in Congo

The World Health Organization today announced the end of the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Shortly after the outbreak was declared in May, the African nation began offering health workers and other high-risk populations an experimental vaccine that was highly protective against the virus in a large 2015 trial in Guinea, assisted by the World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other partners. “The outbreak was contained due to the tireless efforts of local teams, the support of partners, the generosity of donors, and the effective leadership of the Ministry of Health,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “That kind of leadership, allied with strong collaboration between partners, saves lives.” The May outbreak was the ninth in the African nation since Ebola was discovered there in 1976.