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- Between January 1 and July 24, 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) documented 198 attacks on facilities and health workers that killed at least seven people and wounded 58 people, according to news sources. ;information.
- Theories of conspiracy and the anger over lack of response fuel the resentment of the vulnerable population in the face of this deadly epidemic.
- On July 15, two workers involved in the Ebola prevention campaign were killed at home in North Kivu province.
"People think that the Ebola virus does not exist," says Pascal Vahwere, a doctor who fights the disease in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). "My team was attacked for doing our job." Dr. Vahwere told reporters what happened when he was surrounded by a rabid crowd in March while he was running a small team of health professionals to administer vaccines in a remote village in North Kivu.
"Suddenly, a crowd surrounded us with rifles and machetes. We do not know why they came to attack us. We've been scared. We talked to people through community leaders and quieted the crowd. "
These health brigades identify people already infected with the Ebola virus and drive them to treatment centers. They also help to bury the dead. But for these teams, traveling to a village infected with the Ebola virus is a risky mission. While the rapid spread of the virus kills more and more people, health workers in the DRC are facing the fury of crowds. This is the result of rumors that spread like wildfire, often through WhatsApp groups. At least seven members of the brigade were killed in 2019.
Theories of conspiracy and the anger over lack of response fuel the resentment of the vulnerable population in the face of this deadly epidemic. "The spread of false information has led people to think that the Ebola virus is a revenue-generating business for politicians," said Vahwere. Vahwere works for the International Rescue Committee in the eastern city of Goma, Goma. The city reported its first Ebola-related death just two weeks ago. Earlier this week, the second case of Ebola was detected in the city. "Some even said that the treatment actually killed people," he adds.
From January 1 to July 24, 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) recorded 198 attacks on facilities and health workers that killed at least seven people and wounded 58 people.
Richard Mouzoko, epidemiologist at WHO, is among the victims. He died during an attack on Butembo University Hospital on April 19. Two other people were injured during this attack. In May, villagers in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo killed a health worker and looted a treatment center. On July 15, two workers involved in the Ebola prevention campaign were killed at home in North Kivu province.
The frequency and lethality of attacks affect the fight against the epidemic. Meanwhile, the disease is gaining ground. In 224 days, the number of 1,000 cases reported was reached, but only 71 days later, there were already 2,000 infected people. "Today (Monday), we have 57 cases of Ebola treatment center in Beni. This means that our workload is very heavy, "says Dr. Freddy Sangala.
The Ebola virus is spread through the body fluids of an infected person, such as blood, or through objects such as blankets and clothing contaminated with these fluids. Ebola does not cure, but early treatment of some symptoms, as well as the use of oral rehydration therapy and intravenous fluids, can increase the chances of survival. A vaccine has recently been administered to help prevent the spread of the Ebola virus in the DRC. The vaccine has been administered to some 170,000 people in close contact with people already infected with the Ebola virus. But the attacks cause interruptions in the vaccination campaign, which causes the spread of the disease.
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