Four of the recovered patients, all medical workers, were discharged on Sunday from an Ebola treatment center in Bunia after testing negative twice for Ebola, while another patient, a laboratory worker, had already returned home, according to the DRC's National Institute of Public Health.
KINSHASA, June 1 (Xinhua) -- Five patients infected with the Ebola Bundibugyo virus have recovered in Bunia, the capital of Ituri Province in northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), health authorities said Sunday.
Four of the recovered patients, all medical workers, were discharged on Sunday from an Ebola treatment center in Bunia after testing negative twice for Ebola, while another patient, a laboratory worker, had already returned home, according to the DRC's National Institute of Public Health.
World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus was present in Bunia for the inauguration of a new Ebola treatment center and hailed the recoveries.
"We are still working on vaccines and treatments, but that does not mean that people cannot recover from Ebola," Tedros said.
The recoveries came as the DRC stepped up laboratory testing and case management in affected areas. DRC Health Minister Roger Kamba said Saturday that there were no pending samples awaiting laboratory testing, stressing that response teams were continuing surveillance, contact tracing, and case verification.
The DRC Health Ministry said Sunday that 263 confirmed cases had been reported in the country as of May 29, including 42 deaths among confirmed cases.
Director-General of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Jean Kaseya said on Sunday that more than 1,100 test results were still pending as of May 30. ■
