DR Congo Ebola Outbreak Crosses 6,000 Cases as Five Survivors Leave Hospital
Five Ebola survivors were discharged in Beni, DR Congo, as the national outbreak case count crossed 6,000 with 2,911 deaths.
Five people who recovered from Ebola were discharged from treatment centres in Beni, in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, on Sunday. The group included a healthcare worker and had been receiving care at a Doctors Without Borders facility and the Ebola treatment unit at Beni Hospital.
The survivors received certificates confirming their recovery and thanked the medical teams who looked after them. They also urged others to come forward for treatment early if they felt unwell. One survivor, Kavira Mangese, said she sought help in time and that this was why she recovered quickly. Another patient, Nadine Masika, praised the care and food provided at the centre. Gervain Kambale, whose wife was among those discharged, said he had arrived with little hope but was grateful for the medical staff's efforts.
Dr. Jéremie Muhindo, who leads the Ebola response group Riposte in Beni, described the discharge of five patients at once as a momentous day and a source of pride for his team.
The good news came as authorities confirmed the outbreak has now surpassed 6,000 cases, with 2,911 deaths. More than 1,360 people have recovered, a figure officials described as encouraging. The outbreak, declared in mid-May but believed to have been spreading since February, is the fastest-growing in the country's history.
Response efforts continue to face severe challenges, including insecurity, displacement, a health workers' strike, and large population movements. Conditions at displacement sites are especially precarious. The World Health Organization has warned that the outbreak is on track to exceed the 2014-2016 West Africa epidemic, which killed over 11,000 people across Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.