5 Ebola patients have recovered from the rare strain of the virus, a WHO official said

The official of the World Health Organization said that five people have recovered a rare strain of Ebolaemphasizing the importance of seeking care for the symptoms of the disease.

Despite the lack of an approved treatment or vaccine for the Bundibugyo virus, which is the cause of the current Ebola outbreak, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said these five cases are an example that recovery from the disease is still possible. The WHO said on Friday that one patient has recovered from the Bundibugyo virus, marking the first confirmed case since the outbreak began.

“Four people will be released today and one was released yesterday,” Tedros said at the opening of a new Ebola treatment center in Bunia, the capital of Ituri province in eastern Congo, which is the epicenter of the outbreak.

“Yes, we are still working on vaccines and treatments but that does not mean that people will not be able to recover from Ebola,” he added.

At least 906 suspected cases of the virus and 223 deaths, among those suspected, have been reported in Congo, according to the WHO. There are 134 confirmed cases and 18 deaths among the confirmed cases in Congo and neighboring Uganda, health officials said. Uganda has confirmed nine cases and one death, the Ugandan Ministry of Health said on Friday.

The virus continues to spread faster than the response despite better organized health facilities and new aid arriving, Doctors Without Borders, or MSF, said on Saturday, calling for a rapid increase in testing, rapid deployment of aid workers and continued access to medical supplies.

The risks facing health workers have been exacerbated by anger among citizens over strict medical regulations for the handling of dead bodies, which conflict with local burial regulations. Residents have attacked health facilities at least three times.

Tedros stressed the importance of involving the public in the response to the disease during the opening of a new treatment center on Sunday.

“If you come to health centers with symptoms, you can get support and recover, so the important thing is to show up early and get the necessary support,” said the WHO official.

“We can stop Ebola and anyone who has it can recover. But the law … is that this thing is everyone’s business and every citizen must participate,” he added.

Attacks in Ituri by the Allied Democratic Forces, a rebel group affiliated with the Islamic State group, and a coalition of ethnic militias also hampered the response.

The disease has also been reported in Congo, North Kivu and South Kivu provinces, south of Ituri, where the Rwandan-backed rebel group M23 controls several key cities, including Goma and Bukavu. The rebels reported two cases.

“The last message we would like to share with the Ituri community is that there is hope,” said Pierre Akilimali, Incident Manager at the Congo National Institute of Public Health, during the inauguration ceremony on Sunday.

“With the symptomatic treatment we are currently offering, we are seeing patients recover,” added Akilimali.

“We are really hopeful. The virus here is not as complicated as those we have faced in the past, and with the support of all our partners, we believe we will be able to control this disease as soon as possible,” said Davin Amitapio, another doctor at the medical center.