Ebola crisis: Five people discharged from hospital in DR Congo after recovering from virus

The World Health Organization has confirmed five individuals have successfully recovered from the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola virus, which currently doesn't have any approved vaccine or treatment.

WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made the announcement whilst visiting Bunia, a city in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, at the epicentre of the outbreak.

"Four people will be discharged today, and there was one who was discharged the day before yesterday," he said.

The WHO has designated the outbreak affecting both the DRC and Uganda as a public health emergency of international concern.

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"Of course, we're still working on vaccines and treatments but that doesn't mean that people cannot recover from Ebola," Dr Tedros added.

Health authorities in Brazil are currently examining two suspected Ebola cases, though both patients have received alternative diagnoses.

In Sao Paulo state, a Congolese man who had recently returned from the DRC developed a fever and subsequently tested positive for meningitis.

A second individual in Rio de Janeiro state, who had travelled to Uganda, received a positive malaria diagnosis.

Brazilian officials have said neither diagnosis excludes the possibility of concurrent Ebola infection.

Meanwhile, Italian health protocols were activated in Cagliari, Sardinia, after a man arrived from the DRC on Saturday displaying symptoms.

Italy's health ministry confirmed on Monday that he tested negative, saying: "We confirm that the risk [of Ebola] in Italy remains low."

According to Jean Kaseya, director-general of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, the outbreak has reached significant proportions across the affected region.

Writing in the Financial Times, he reported that 263 confirmed Ebola cases had been recorded in the DRC and Uganda as of Saturday.

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Investigators are currently examining more than 1,100 suspected cases across both nations, with the death toll currently standing at 43 confirmed fatalities.

The Bundibugyo strain is particularly difficult to combat due to a lack of approved medical countermeasures.

Doctors Without Borders has issued a stark warning the virus continues to outpace containment efforts, despite improvements in healthcare facilities and the arrival of additional aid.

The medical charity has demanded immediate expansion of testing capacity, swifter deployment of humanitarian workers, and guaranteed access to medical supplies.

Dr Tedros stressed community participation remains crucial to halting transmission.

"We can stop this Ebola and anyone who has it can also recover," he declared.

But the rule...is this thing is everybody's business and every citizen should be involved."

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