KINSHASA, June 3 (Xinhua) -- A patient infected with Ebola virus disease was discharged on Wednesday in Goma, the capital of North Kivu Province in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), after being declared recovered by medical teams.
The recovery brought relief to the patient's family, who said they had gone through days of anxiety and uncertainty.
"We are very happy. Her illness worried us deeply. Since she was hospitalized, none of us could go to work. We were all anxious," said Kavira Kazadi, a family member of the patient.
The DRC government said on Tuesday that, as of Monday, six patients have recovered from Ebola, with 344 confirmed cases, including 60 deaths.
Medical charity Doctors Without Borders said on Monday that the Ebola response in North Kivu is being organized around systems already put in place during previous epidemics. In Goma, an Ebola treatment center with 80 beds has been set up, and the first patients have been admitted, according to the organization.
Goma, a major city in eastern DRC, has been under the control of the March 23 Movement rebel group since early 2025. Access to parts of North Kivu has remained difficult amid the continued insecurity.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday that it remains present in the Kivu region despite the security and access challenges in parts of eastern DRC.
"We have never left Kivu," said Mohamed Yakub Janabi, WHO regional director for Africa, in response to a question on access to North Kivu and Goma.
The WHO declared the Ebola outbreak in the DRC and Uganda a public health emergency of international concern on May 17. The current outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, for which there is currently no approved vaccine or specific treatment. ■
