Five patients have successfully recovered from a rare type of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and have been discharged from the hospit
Five patients have successfully recovered from a rare type of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and have been discharged from the hospital.
The group included four nurses and one laboratory worker who tested negative twice for the virus.
They were released from an Ebola treatment centre in Bunia, the epicentre of the current outbreak in Ituri Province.
World Health Organisation (WHO) Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus visited Bunia to celebrate the milestone.
He personally met with the survivors and praised them, stating, “[You] are living stories that this outbreak can be stopped”.
Nurse Etienne Ezo, one of the recovering patients, noted the psychological difficulty of the isolation period. Still, officials emphasised that the discharges serve as a vital reminder that Ebola is survivable with timely care.
These recoveries provide a much-needed morale boost as the DRC continues to battle the highly concerning 2026 Bundibugyo virus outbreak, which has sparked an international public health emergency.
Health workers have been on the frontline of containment efforts and are often at the highest risk of infection.
Because this specific strain lacks approved vaccines and treatments, early supportive medical care has been heavily relied upon to save lives.
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