Four nurses who were treated for the Ebola virus caused by the Bundibugyo strain have recovered and been discharged from a hospital in Bunia, Democratic Republic of Congo. The World Health Organization announced the recoveries on Sunday.
A laboratory worker had also recovered earlier in the week, bringing the total number of people who have recovered from this specific outbreak to five. The WHO noted that more recoveries are expected, particularly when patients are diagnosed early and can access proper medical care.
Despite these positive developments, the outbreak continues to spread. The number of confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo has risen to 282, with 42 deaths, after 19 new positive test results were recorded.
Earlier this month, the WHO declared the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda a public health emergency of international concern. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated that while there is no licensed vaccine or treatment for this strain, survival is possible with good medical care.
The outbreak, the 17th in Congo and the third-largest since Ebola was discovered, is outpacing the global response. Jean Kaseya, director-general of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, warned that the risk of regional spread is already occurring, with over 1,100 suspected cases under investigation.
Suspected cases have now emerged outside Africa. In Brazil, a man from the Democratic Republic of Congo presented with a fever in Sao Paulo and tested positive for meningitis. Another suspected case in Rio de Janeiro involved a patient who had recently traveled to Uganda and tested positive for malaria. Health authorities stated that these other diagnoses do not rule out the possibility of Ebola.
In Italy, protocols for a suspected case were triggered in Cagliari, Sardinia, for a man who flew back from Congo with symptoms. However, the Italian health ministry confirmed on Monday that he had tested negative for Ebola. The ministry emphasized that the risk of Ebola in Italy remains very low.
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