WHO confirms DR Congo Ebola-free

The World Health Organization confirmed Friday that the Democratic Republic of Congo was Ebola-free, as 42 days had passed since the last case in an outbreak that killed at least 49 people.
 
The DRC outbreak, which began in August, involved a different strain of Ebola from the one that has claimed more than 5,400 lives in west Africa.

“The Democratic Republic of Congo is now considered free of Ebola transmission,” the UN health agency said in a statement.

The all-clear for the country, where 66 people were infected, came after twice the 21-day incubation period had passed with no new cases detected.

DRC had declared itself Ebola-free nearly a week ago, but WHO said the country’s seventh outbreak of the deadly virus was officially over only on Thursday.