MOSCOW, November 15 (Sputnik) — The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) declared itself Ebola-free on Saturday after the virus killed dozens of residents, though intends to stay alert.
"The end of the epidemic… does not mean we are completely out of danger," DRC Health Minister Felix Kabange Numbi said as quoted by Channel News Asia.
"Like every other nation, the DRC remains threatened by the possible import of the Ebola virus disease raging in west Africa," he added.
In late October, Oleg Salagai, spokesperson for the Russian Health Ministry, told Sputnik that Ebola cases in DRC were not related to the virus outbreak in West Africa.
According to the latest World Health Organization data, 5,177 people have died from the most current Ebola outbreak, with 14,413 confirmed, probable, and suspected cases of the virus having been reported.
In DRC, the virus has killed 49 people.
The current Ebola epidemic started in southern Guinea in December 2013 and soon spread to Liberia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Senegal. The latter two countries have recently been declared free of the virus.
Ebola is transmitted through direct contact with the bodily fluids of those infected. Although there is no officially approved medication for the virus, several countries, including Russia, are currently working on trial vaccines.
