From Isolation To Celebration: Four Congolese Nurses Recover From Ebola, WHO Hails Milestone
From Isolation To Celebration: Four Congolese Nurses Recover From Ebola, WHO Hails Milestone Published By, Last Updated: June 01, 2026, 18:24 IST Health authorities in
From Isolation To Celebration: Four Congolese Nurses Recover From Ebola, WHO Hails Milestone Published By, Last Updated: June 01, 2026, 18:24 IST Health authorities in Congo celebrate first Ebola survivors in Bunia, as WHO and MSF warn the outbreak remains deeply alarming. Director General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, right, shakes hands with Ezo Etienne, a health worker who recovered from Ebola in Bunia, Congo, on Sunday. (Image: AP) After weeks of dealing with Ebola, the health authorities in Democratic Republic of Congo celebrated after five patients recovered and were discharged. According to a report by BBC, a ceremony was held on Sunday for a group of four nurses who were discharged from a hospital in Bunia, the provincial capital of Ituri, the epicentre of the outbreak.
The first survivor, a laboratory worker, recovered and was discharged last week. “You are living stories that this outbreak can be stopped," World Health Organization (WHO) chief Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told the four on a visit to Bunia. “We were really demoralised because we knew that at some point… we were going to die. That was it… I’m telling you, if you have never been isolated, you will not know that it’s not easy," Nurse Etienne Ezo told Reuters as he reflected on his experience. The current outbreak is suspected to have killed almost 250 people. So far, the number of confirmed Ebola cases in Congo stands at 282 with 42 deaths, according to data distributed by the communications ministry. The development came two weeks after the WHO declared the outbreak in eastern DR Congo, one of the poorest countries in the world.
The virus, which can cause a deadly haemorrhagic fever, has been detected in three Congolese provinces as well as in Uganda. International health authorities believe that current figures are likely an underestimation. Medical charity organisation Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has described the outbreak as a “deeply alarming" situation, with officials warning that the true scale of the outbreak is still unknown. MSF deputy director Dr Alan Gonzales said the situation had deteriorated at a worrying pace since the declaration, BBC reported. He noted that never before had so many cases been recorded so soon after an outbreak was confirmed, adding response efforts were struggling to keep up with the speed of transmission. According to him, medical teams are still facing major gaps in testing and surveillance, which is slowing down containment work.
News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit Location: Congo, Democratic Republic of the First Published: June 01, 2026, 18:13 IST News world From Isolation To Celebration: Four Congolese Nurses Recover From Ebola, WHO Hails Milestone Disclaimer: Comments reflect users’ views, not News18’s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
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