Ebola cases surge in Congo due to shortage of vaccines and medical equipment
Kyiv • UNN
The number of Ebola patients is rapidly increasing in Congo due to a lack of vaccines. A shortage of protective gear and civil unrest are hindering efforts to combat the epidemic.
In the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Ebola outbreak situation is rapidly deteriorating, and medics are forced to fight the epidemic without vaccines or sufficient basic equipment. This was stated by Jean Kaseya, Director General of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, Bloomberg reports, according to UNN.
Details
According to Kaseya, the current outbreak, caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain, has already become the second largest after the West African epidemic of 2014–2016. At the same time, there are currently no approved vaccines or antibody treatments against this strain.
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"It's like a soldier going to war without ammunition. We must rely on public health measures,"
According to him, medics are forced to rely on information campaigns and persuading the population to change dangerous burial practices that contribute to the spread of the virus.
Hospitals lack even basic protective equipment
Kaseya reported that some medical facilities are still not provided with basic personal protective equipment, laboratory equipment, and specialized Ebola treatment centers. In the city of Bunia, some patients are being treated in regular wards due to the lack of proper isolation units.
Tensions among the population are also rising. Near Bunia, relatives of a deceased patient clashed with medics after they refused to release the body due to the risk of infection.
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During the riots, tents of the humanitarian organization Alima were set on fire, and some patients fled the treatment site.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention stated that they are now actively engaging religious and community leaders to explain safety rules and the necessity of complying with sanitary requirements during burials to the population.