Five Ebola survivors discharged from hospital in DR Congo
Health officials in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are celebrating the recovery of five Ebola patients who have now been discharged from hospital.
The ongoing outbreak is believed to have claimed nearly 250 lives, but authorities continue to stress that Ebola is treatable and are encouraging people with symptoms to seek medical care early.
On Sunday, a ceremony was held in Bunia, the capital of Ituri province and the centre of the outbreak, to mark the discharge of four nurses who had recovered from the virus.
During a visit to Bunia, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told the survivors that their recovery demonstrated the outbreak could be contained.
One of the recovered nurses, Etienne Ezo, told Reuters that he and his colleagues had at one point believed they would not survive the disease.
“We lost hope because we thought death was inevitable. Isolation was a very difficult experience,” he said while reflecting on his treatment.
The first Ebola survivor from the outbreak, a laboratory worker, was discharged from hospital last week.
Health workers remain at the forefront of efforts to contain the spread of the virus and are among those most exposed to infection.
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