Ebola recoveries bring signs of hope in DRC as suspected cases emerge outside Africa

Four nurses who were being treated for Ebola caused by the Bundibugyo strain have been discharged from a hospital in Bunia, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, after recovering from the disease, the World Health Organization said on Sunday.

The recoveries are expected to increase as more patients are diagnosed early and gain access to timely medical care, and as the outbreak response efforts intensify across affected areas.

A laboratory worker had also recovered earlier this week, bringing the total number of confirmed recoveries to five, the agency said. However, health authorities are investigating suspected cases in Brazil and Italy that are linked to recent travel to affected countries.

According to data released by the communications ministry, confirmed Ebola cases in the country have risen to 282, with 42 reported deaths, following 19 new positive test results.

Earlier this month, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak—caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda—a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, though it does not meet the criteria of a pandemic.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, during a visit to Bunia, the capital of Ituri Province in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, said that while there is currently no licensed vaccine or specific treatment for the Bundibugyo strain, the disease can still be survived with high-quality supportive medical care.

The outbreak, the 17th recorded in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and among the largest since Ebola was first identified, continues to challenge the global response, which authorities say was delayed in its early stages.

Jean Kaseya, Director-General of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, said in a Financial Times op-ed that the risk of regional spread is already underway, noting that more than 1,100 suspected cases are under investigation.

Outside Africa, suspected cases have been reported in Brazil and Italy. In São Paulo, a man from the Democratic Republic of the Congo initially tested positive for meningitis after developing a fever following travel. A separate case in Rio de Janeiro was confirmed positive for malaria, although health officials said Ebola has not been fully ruled out in either case.

In Italy, precautionary protocols were activated in Cagliari, Sardinia, after a man returning from the Democratic Republic of the Congo showed symptoms. However, Italy’s health ministry later confirmed that he tested negative, reiterating that the risk in the country remains very low. -Reporting by Chandni Shah and Rhea Rose Abraham in Bengaluru, additional reporting by Alvise Armellini in Rome; editing by Barbara Lewis, Bill Berkrot and Stephen Coates/Reuters