Five Ebola survivors discharged as DRCongo’s case count breaks 6,000
Five Ebola survivors were discharged in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as the national outbreak surpassed 6,000 cases. The current epidemic is the fastest-growing in the country's history, with 2,911 deaths reported so far.
Why it matters
The rapid spread of the virus in a conflict-prone region poses a significant threat to regional health security and humanitarian stability.
Five people who recovered from Ebola were discharged from treatment in Béni in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo on Sunday.
The survivors, who included a healthcare worker, had been hospitalized at the Doctors Without Borders Ebola treatment center and at the Ebola treatment center at Béni Hospital.
As they received a certificate confirming they had been cured, the survivors expressed their thanks to the medical teams that had cared for them, and urged their compatriots to seek treatment if ill.
Health workers and officials leading the Ebola response celebrated the five's discharge, with the head of the response coalition saying it was a "momentous day" and a "source of pride" for his team.
But the number of Ebola cases continues to rise, and the survivors' discharge came as authorities announced that the outbreak in the African nation had surpassed 6,000 cases.
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