The World Health Organization on Friday confirmed the first recovery of a laboratory-confirmed Ebola patient in the ongoing outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“The DRC has said that on May 27, a patient recovered and left the hospital and has been discharged into the community,” WHO official Anais Legand told reporters.
She described the case as the “first” recovery among patients officially confirmed to have contracted the virus, while noting that other unconfirmed patients may also have survived the disease.
“This is the first one” to be discharged from a care centre “following two negative tests”, she said.
According to Legand, the WHO has so far documented 17 confirmed Ebola deaths and 223 suspected deaths in DR Congo since the outbreak was declared on May 15.
The outbreak has also resulted in 125 confirmed cases and more than 900 suspected infections.
Health authorities said the current outbreak is being driven by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which there is currently no approved vaccine or specific treatment.
The strain is known to have a fatality rate of up to 50 percent.
However, the fatality rate recorded in the present outbreak appears to be below 25 percent, although officials said the figure could still change as more cases are confirmed.
Legand, who serves as a WHO technical officer on viral haemorrhagic fevers, emphasised that prompt medical attention significantly increases the chances of survival.
“We are expecting more people to recover,” she said.
