End of 11th Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

On 18 November 2020, World Health Organization (WHO) and the Congolese Minister of Health declared the end of the 11^th Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), nearly six months after the first cases were reported in Equateur Province, a north-western region at the border with Republic of Congo. The outbreak took place in communities scattered across dense rain forests as well as crowded urban areas, creating logistical challenges. The response to the 11^th Ebola outbreak had to contend with the COVID-19 pandemic, which strained resources and created difficulties around the movement of experts and supplies. By the end of the current 11^th Ebola outbreak in Equateur Province, there were 119 confirmed cases, 11 probable, 55 deaths and 75 people who had recovered. [source WHO]

Disaggregated data by gender is not yet provided. Experience shows that women who lost a family member to Ebola or recovered from the disease are more at risk of ostracization from their community. Women have also been very active during the outbreak, leading awareness raising activities about the Ebola disease or working for the response.