DR Congo declares end of Ebola outbreak

The Congolese health minister on Saturday declared the end of an Ebola outbreak in a remote northeastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo which caused four deaths in the area.

On May 12, officials declared an outbreak of the highly contagious disease, the eighth to date in the sprawling country, in Bas-Uele province — an equatorial forest zone near the Central African Republic.

“I declare the end of the Ebola outbreak in Likati in DRC from midnight tonight,” Oly Ilunga told reporters.

Ilunga said none of the 105 suspected cases had tested positive and that the country had recorded no new cases since June 2.

The incubation period for this highly contagious disease is 21 days.

An Ebola outbreak in 2014 left 11,300 people dead, mainly in west Africa.