Ebola ravages DR Congo, WHO: First patient recovers

Central News Agency, Geneva, May 29: The Ebola virus is ravaging the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and the World Health Organization (WHO) announced today that the first confirmed patient in the region has recovered and been discharged. AFP reported that WHO expert Anais Legand told reporters that the DRC claims a patient recently recovered and was discharged, having already returned to the community. Legand stated that this is the "first" recovery case among confirmed Ebola patients in the region, but she also emphasized that other patients are expected to recover, though laboratory test results have not yet been confirmed. She further mentioned that this is the first case to leave a medical facility after two negative test results. Legand noted that since the outbreak was declared on May 15, the WHO has recorded 125 confirmed cases in the DRC, including 17 deaths, as well as over 900 suspected cases, of which 223 have died. This Ebola outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo virus strain, which has a fatality rate of up to 50%. Currently, there is no vaccine or specific treatment for this strain.