DR Congo's Ebola outbreak beaten

The Democratic Republic of the Congo was on Wednesday declared free of Ebola infections, almost six months after the first cases in the latest outbreak were reported in the country's northwest.

The World Health Organization, in announcing the end of the outbreak, called for sustained vigilance against potential flare-ups in infections. The UN agency said it was 42 days since the last patient tested negative for the virus. It was the 11th outbreak of the virus reported in the Central African country.

The WHO said it is working with partners to improve training for front line medical workers in Equateur Province, where the 2020 outbreak took hold.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, in a statement on Wednesday, called for people to remain vigilant.

The humanitarian network warned that the announcement does not spell the end of the considerable challenges that the country is facing, including the coronavirus emergency and long-standing economic and security issues.

Jacques Katshishi, secretary general of the DR Congo Red Cross, said it is not the time to leave vulnerable Congolese communities behind.

'Huge achievement'

"Bringing Ebola to zero is a huge achievement, but now we are faced with our next challenge: keeping it there. This is not a moment to be complacent; the world cannot afford a resurgence of Ebola in DR Congo," Katshishi said.

Announced on June 1, the outbreak－the second to affect Equateur and the third nationwide since 2018－infected 119 people and killed 55. It spread to 13 of the region's 18 health zones.

The WHO said the battle against the outbreak was made more difficult by the pandemic. The large number of cases in remote communities compounded the problems. Still, health workers were mobilized locally and moved quickly under the leadership of the government.

"Responders worked closely with community members to increase understanding of the virus by visiting more than 574, 000 households and providing more than 3 million people with pertinent health and safety information," the WHO said.

The UN agency said vaccination efforts began four days after the outbreak was declared and more than 40,000 people at high risk were vaccinated.