An Ebola treatment center was burned down in Congo amid more than 4,000 deaths during the outbreak
Kyiv • UNN
In the DRC, 4,018 people have died from Ebola out of 8,300 confirmed cases. Efforts to contain the disease are hampered by strikes, violence, and community distrust.
The Ebola outbreak in Congo has claimed the lives of more than 4,000 people, according to authorities, amid efforts to contain the spread of the virus. UNN reports this, citing AP.
Details
The latest figures published by the Ministry of Health on Thursday showed that 4,018 people had died, accounting for nearly half of the 8,300 confirmed cases in what has become the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak in history.
On May 15, Congo declared an outbreak caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain of the virus, for which there is no known treatment or vaccine.
Frontline workers have gone on strike several times since the outbreak began, further hindering efforts to contain the disease.
Some healthcare workers gathered in Bunia, the capital of the northeastern province of Ituri and the epicenter of the outbreak. They demanded payment of overdue wages but were quickly dispersed by officials. Among the protesters were members of a monitoring group who identify people who have come into contact with infected patients. They waved signs reading: "No money, no data!" and "No payment for months."
A senior UN official said that soldiers burned down an Ebola treatment camp containing a transit center for infected patients earlier this week while searching for weapons in Kigonze, on the outskirts of Bunia, forcing 19,000 people in the camp to flee.
"The enormous challenge of stopping the spread of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) became even more difficult after a key transit center for patients requiring treatment burned down in Ituri province," the United Nations said.
Julien Harneis, the UN's senior Ebola coordinator, said that establishing Ebola transit and treatment centers had been a challenging task requiring money and personnel, both of which are in short supply.
"When we lose a center, it means we lose capacity, we lose investments, and we have to start all over again. And above all, it means that people are not gaining access to the medical care they really need," Harneis said.
Infected aid worker evacuated to the Netherlands
An aid worker with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) contracted the Ebola virus while working in Congo, the organization said in a statement.
The worker arrived late Thursday evening after being transported to the Netherlands on a special medical flight and was transferred to a high-level isolation unit, according to a statement from Leiden University Medical Center.
"The human cost of this crisis is unprecedented in the DRC, where communities are facing the largest Ebola outbreak ever recorded in the country," MSF said.
More than 50 healthcare workers have died after contracting the virus.
Danger and community resistance hinder containment efforts
The World Health Organization recently raised the alarm over the rapid spread of the virus into new healthcare zones, draining limited resources.
The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said at its latest press conference that the number of new confirmed cases is declining, but this could be explained by danger and difficulties in engaging communities to cooperate in some hotspots. Although the spread of the disease has slowed in some areas, it has accelerated in others, creating what experts consider a delicate situation.
The number of confirmed cases slowed in recent weeks, from approximately 850 cases and 470 deaths per week in mid-July to an average of 490 cases and 230 deaths in September. Overall, the outbreak also saw a similar 33% increase in both confirmed cases and deaths by September.
Earlier this week, a Congolese politician was attacked and beaten to death for defending government measures to combat the outbreak, highlighting the tensions that have overwhelmed both the medical community and local resources.
The attack on Marie-Celestine Karondwa, a local official of Congo’s ruling Union for Democracy and Social Progress party, took place on Sunday at his home in Butembo, an Ebola hotspot in the eastern province of North Kivu. His house was set on fire afterward, and he died in hospital from his injuries.
Widespread distrust of health workers and the authorities has hindered efforts to slow the 17th Ebola outbreak in the Central African country.
Last month, the authorities introduced a village-focused approach, but these efforts are facing resistance from residents who believe Ebola is a hoax. There is also deep distrust of the country’s government for reasons ranging from its handling of past Ebola outbreaks to chronic corruption, the publication writes.