Description of the situation
26 April 1996
Disease Outbreak Reported
No new cases of Ebola haemorrhagic fever have been reported in Gabon since the death of the last case on 12 March 1996. The outbreak was therefore officially declared over on 23 April 1996, after a lapse of 42 days corresponding to twice the maximum incubation period. The outbreak occurred in the village of Mayibout II, Makokou Health District, Ogooue-Ivindo Province. It was linked to the butchering, transport and preparation for consumption of a chimpanzee found dead in the forest on 24 January 1996. The total number of cases was 37 (20 males, 17 females) and the mean age was 27 years (range 7 months to 70 years)
Rapid identification of the disease and appropriate control measures quickly brought the outbreak under control.