On Thursday, Eastern Congo proclaimed an end to the second-deadliest outbreak of Ebola in history, which killed 2,280 people over nearly two years. The situation was worsened as armed rebels and the community undermined the promise of new vaccines due to mistrust of the government. Although Thursday’s milestone was an incredible announcement, it was undermined by the rising threat of COVID-19 and another Ebola outbreak in the north.
The epidemic that lasted nearly two years was announced over by Dr. Jean Jacques Muyembe, who coordinated the national Ebola response and developed treatments for the formerly incurable disease. The announcement was initially set for April, however, a new case emerged just days before the declaration was expected, restarting the 42 day waiting period for such a proclamation. The epidemic began in August of 2018 and presented an unprecedented challenge for the World Health Organization due to the fact that it was the first Ebola epidemic in an active conflict zone.
Read More: Congo announces end to 2nd deadliest Ebola outbreak ever
