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The World Health Organization has responded to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Congolese health workers demonstrated Wednesday to demand increased protection against armed militia. Dozens of doctors and nurses facing the Ebola outbreak have threatened to go on strike if their demands are not met by the government. ( World Health Organization, African Region | Facebook )
Health workers on the front lines of the Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo continue to face the threat of violence exerted by armed militia.
After repeated attacks that injured their colleagues, doctors and nurses in the affected areas of eastern Congo announced that they would go on strike if the government did not protect them.
Health workers walk to seek protection
On Wednesday, April 25, dozens of Congolese health workers marched in Butembo, the largest city affected by the epidemic, to ask the authorities to add security measures to ensure the safety of their patients and their patients. .
"If our security is not guaranteed, we will strike in the first week of May," said Dr. Kalima Nzanzu in a note to Butembo Mayor Sylvain Kanyamanda.
The Ebola outbreak in Congo is the second most serious in the history of the world. Approximately 1,340 probable and confirmed cases have been reported since August 2018. More than 800 people have died of the disease.
Although local and international health workers have made aggressive efforts to contain the epidemic, armed conflict in the region and misinformation about the disease have hindered any progress. Dozens of militias are fighting each other for land, ethnicity and mineral resources in eastern Congo. In the meantime, rumors are circulating that Ebola is a scam led by foreigners to earn money with the local population.
Kanyamada responded to the protesters, saying he understood the frustration of the health workers and badured the government was determined to protect them.
Militiamen Target Ebola Centers
The protest took place a week after the attack on a Butembo hospital by armed militiamen, who killed an epidemiologist from the World Health Organization and wounded two others.
"It's getting worse at the moment," said Jean-Philippe Marcoux, National Director of Mercy Corps for the DRC. "This is symptomatic of the weaknesses of the response – in terms of community engagement and communication."
The office of the North Kivu military prosecutor announced that the authorities had captured the leader of the attack and a dozen other suspects. They identified the Patriotic Union for the Liberation of Congo, an armed group, as responsible for the attack.
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