Picture: Dr Oly Ilunga Kilunga: Minister of Health Democratic Republic of Congo

We can all breathe a collective sigh of relief after the recent announcement by the Minister of Health of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Dr Oly Ilunga Kalenga that the ninth and most deadly Ebola epidemic in the DRC is now under control. This is welcome news in an international system rife with bad news. The speed and success of the DRC’S responses to an Ebola outbreak that had all the hallmarks of a potentially devastating epidemic has much to do with strong and decisive leadership, testament to what happens when governments take ownership of national health security challenges and work effectively with partners to overcome the threat. 
 
The previous eight Ebola outbreaks in the DRC had typically shown two characteristics - isolated rural outbreaks that were self-limiting as a result of their location or urban outbreaks that had significant spreading potential. This ninth outbreak was showing both features and it threatened to become an unmitigated crisis in a country that was already facing massive population displacement, a cholera and a vaccine derived polio epidemic. At the time we received a briefing on the progress of outbreak control efforts in Committee A of the World Health Assembly (WHA), fifty-eight cases had already been recorded as suspected, confirmed and probable. Six new confirmed cases, 2 new suspected cases and others still to be investigated served as a strong notice to the global community that the worst of this outbreak may yet still come.

Photo: Copyright: Medicines for Africa

Tinotenda Gwisai. Harare Zimbabwe. Tino is a biomedical engineer and a young leader who specialised in social medicine and is currently embarking on Ph.D. studies at ETH Zurich in Switzerland.

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