The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Friday confirmed the first recovery of a patient infected with Ebola in the ongoing outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
WHO official Anais Legand said the recovered patient was discharged from hospital on May 27 after receiving two negative Ebola test results.
“The DRC has said that on May 27, a patient recovered and left the hospital and has been discharged into the community,” Legand told reporters.
She described the case as the first confirmed Ebola recovery recorded during the current outbreak.
However, Legand explained that there were likely other recoveries among suspected patients who had not yet received laboratory confirmation.
“This is the first one to be discharged from a care centre following two negative tests,” she added.
According to WHO data, the outbreak has so far resulted in 17 confirmed deaths and 223 suspected Ebola-related deaths since it was declared on May 15.
Health authorities have also recorded 125 confirmed cases and more than 900 suspected cases across the DRC.
The current outbreak is linked to the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which there is currently no approved vaccine or specific treatment.
Experts say the strain can have a fatality rate of up to 50 percent.
However, officials noted that the death rate in the present outbreak appears to be below 25 percent so far, although investigations are still ongoing.
Legand stressed that early medical care remains critical in improving survival outcomes for infected patients.
“We are expecting more people to recover,” she said.
