Health officials declared the Democratic Republic of Congo's Ebola outbreak a public health emergency of international concern July 17. The outbreak, which is nearing the one-year mark, had caused 2,522 infections and 1,698 deaths as of July 16.
Below is a breakdown of noteworthy events Becker's has covered regarding the Ebola outbreak, which has grown to become the second worst in history.
Note: This is not an exhaustive list.
2018
Aug. 1 — Ebola outbreak declared in Congo.
Aug. 29 — WHO Director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, PhD, says Congo's conflict zones are complicating Ebola containment efforts.
Oct. 2 — Community members attack two Red Cross workers burying deceased Ebola patient in the city of Butembo.
Oct. 15 — CDC withdraws health experts from Congo's outbreak zone due to security concerns.
Oct. 17 — The World Health Organization's emergency committee rules against declaring the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.
Nov. 5 — Uganda starts administering the Ebola vaccine to some health workers in case the outbreak spreads across Congo's borders.
Nov. 12 — Congo launches clinical trial for experimental Ebola therapies.
Dec. 11 — Outbreak hits 500 cases.
Dec. 19 — South Sudan starts vaccinating health workers against Ebola.
2019
Jan. 6 — First healthy baby is born to an Ebola survivor in the Congo .
Feb. 1 — Outbreak hits six-month mark, surpassing 750 cases.
Feb. 24 — Rebels set fire to an Ebola treatment center in the city of Katwa, killing a nurse.
Feb. 27 — A second Ebola treatment center is set on fire in Butembo.
March 9 — Militant group attacks an Ebola treatment center in Butembo, killing a police officer.
March 15 — CDC Director Robert Redfield, MD, warns the outbreak could last another year.
March 21 — First Ebola infection confirmed in Bunia, a city of nearly 1 million people.
April 4 — Outbreak surpasses 1,100 cases
April 12 — WHO committee rules the outbreak is not a public health emergency of international concern for the second time.
April 19 — Armed rebels attack a hospital in Butembo, killing a WHO epidemiologist.
April 25 — Congo health workers threaten to strike if security measures are not improved amid heightened violence in the outbreak zone.
June 2 — Outbreak surpasses 2,000 cases.
June 11 — First Ebola infection confirmed in Uganda.
June 14 — WHO committee rules the outbreak is not a public health emergency of international concern for the third time.
June 24 — Death toll surpasses 1,500
July 15 — The first Ebola case is confirmed in Goma, a major city near the Rwandan border.
July 17 — WHO committee rules outbreak is a public health emergency of international concern.