The Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, on Thursday welcomed the official announcement by the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) of the end of the Ebola virus outbreak in the country.

The Ministry of Health of the DRC declared the end of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak in Equateur province on July 24, after sustained national-led efforts to contain it within the affected areas, said an AU statement.

It was on May 8 that the Ministry of Health of the DRC declared a new outbreak of the EVD in the Bikoro health zone, which was the 9th outbreak of EVD over the past four decades in the country.

The outbreak spread across three health zones, namely Bikoro, Iboko and Wangata in the Equateur Province, resulting in a total of 54 confirmed cases, with 33 EVD-related deaths.

The last case that tested negative was 42 days ago, said the AU statement, this, as per the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines and International Health Regulations, marks the end of the outbreak.

The Chairperson of the AU Commission has commended the Congolese government for its swift and effective response since the outbreak was declared on 8 May 2018 in the province of Equateur, according the statement.

Following the declaration of the outbreak then, the AU Commission, through the Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), took a number of steps to contribute to the government-led response, recalled the statement.

The 55-member Union, through Africa CDC, has made a significant contribution to the efforts aimed at containing the outbreak, in support of the Congolese-led response, said the statement.

The pan-African bloc will continue to support the efforts of the Congolese government during the 90-day period of enhanced surveillance following the official end of the Ebola outbreak, it added.

The Chairperson of the AU Commission has noted that the timely declaration of the outbreak, in accordance with the International Health Regulations, as well as the leadership and pro-activeness demonstrated by the Congolese government, allowed a coordinated and efficient intervention of all concerned partners to swiftly contain the outbreak.

The Africa CDC has deployed health personnel in the affected areas, trained more than 300 local experts, procured diagnostic equipment, and supported the DRC Ministry of Health in central coordination of the response at national level.