Containing Ebola Outbreak Could Take 6 Months: Congolese Health Minister

‘The effectiveness of our response is what will determine how long it lasts,’ Dr. Samuel Roger Kamba said.

Congo Health Minister Dr. Samuel Roger Kamba speaks to reporters in Kinshasa, Congo, on Aug. 19, 2024. Hardy Bope/AFP via Getty Images

It could take up to six months to contain the Ebola outbreak in central Africa, Congo’s health minister said on May 26.

“We’re giving ourselves between four and six months,” Dr. Samuel Roger Kamba told reporters during a briefing. “That’s my point of view, and that’s the point of view of the response team, and in our plan, considering that this is a major epidemic, we’re giving ourselves perhaps six months to be able to end it.”