After a month with no new cases, the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) appears to be under control and weeks away from officially ending. Less than three months since it was declared, and after only about 50 cases, this outbreak’s efficient containment is a remarkable achievement that stands in stark contrast to the West African epidemic that spiraled into a two-year global crisis with over 28,000 cases.
An Ebola Outbreak Has Just Been Stopped. Here’s What It Tells Us About Containing Epidemics.
There has been significant progress, but there’s room for improvement.
July 13, 2018
Summary.
After a month with no new cases, the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo appears to be under control, and weeks away from officially ending. Less than three months since it was declared, and after only about 50 cases, the outbreak’s efficient containment is a remarkable achievement that stands in stark contrast to the West African epidemic that spiraled into a two-year global crisis with over 28,000 cases. This time around, several factors have made it possible to rapidly control the spread of the disease. But vulnerabilities remain.