The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is currently Ebola-free. But the nation – particularly the east of the country – has faced a huge battle against the disease, with devastating loss of life as well as the negative impact on schools and businesses. Tearfund and our partners were at the frontline of this fight, amid the challenges of conflict and the coronavirus pandemic.
In North Kivu and the Ituri provinces, a deadly outbreak began in August 2018. It was declared over on 25 June 2020. But by that point there had been 2,287 deaths (2,134 confirmed cases and 153 probable).
A separate, smaller outbreak in the western province of Équateur saw 55 deaths, but thankfully was declared over on 18 November 2020.