DR Congo's government on Thursday officially declared an end to an Ebola epidemic that broke out in the east of the troubled country in August 2018 and went on to claim 2,277 lives, AFP reports. 

The outbreak was "the longest, most complex and deadliest" in the 60-year history of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Health Minister Eteni Longondo said.

It has only been surpassed by the 2013-16 Ebola epidemic in West Africa that killed 11,300 people.

On June 1, as the epidemic in the east waned, a new outbreak -- the DRC's 11th since Ebola was identified in 1976 -- was announced in the country's northwest.

For an outbreak to be officially over, there have to be no new cases reported for 42 days, which is double the incubation period of the deadly haemorrhagic microbe.

The eastern outbreak was just three days from reaching the finishing line in April when a new case was reported. Further cases meant that the clock was restarted on May 14.

The World Health Organization (WHO) reacted with joy to Thursday's announcement.

"Ebola outbreak in DRC is over! WHO congratulates all those involved in this tough and often dangerous work to end the almost 2-year long outbreak," it said on Twitter.

News.Az