Kigali - The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has recorded no new cases of the Ebola virus in the past 12 days, a local official said Tuesday, suggesting that the efforts to contain the outbreak have been successful.
Nason Kabuya Ndowole, mayor of the eastern city of Goma, added that it was too early to assess whether the Ebola threat was over.
Ebola cases in the DRC had previously been reported every 1-5
days, and the virus's incubation period - the time interval from infection to onset of symptoms - is between 2 and 21 days, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Earlier this month, the WHO reported that the number of suspected and confirmed Ebola infections in the DRC had doubled to 62 in a week's time.
Prime Minister Augustin Matata Ponyo said Monday on Twitter that the Ebola outbreak in the DRC was “almost over.”
All reported cases have occurred in the country's north-western Equateur province, which borders Congo-Brazzaville and the Central African Republic.
Earlier this month, the Health Ministry launched a 45-day campaign to prevent the transmission of Ebola in the province.
Health professionals and local civil society committees are also working together to prevent Ebola victims from having direct contact with unaffected people. The Congolese have been advised not to travel to affected areas.
The WHO said previously that the DRC government had launched a robust response to counter the outbreak.
The outbreak in the DRC has occurred independently of the one in West Africa and involves a different virus strain.
Ebola is transmitted through contact with blood and other bodily fluids. It causes massive haemorrhaging and has a fatality rate of up to 90 per
Sapa-dpa