The Ebola outbreak in the DRC has all the qualities of a humanitarian crisis

Eight months have pbaded since the beginning of the current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). By early April, nearly 700 people had succumbed to the disease, making it the second most serious Ebola outbreak ever recorded. There is only the second epidemic in West Africa from 2013 to 2016, which claimed the lives of more than 11,000 people. And it seems that the end is not in sight yet. The Conversation Ina Skosana, from Africa, interviewed Jacqueline Weyer on the worsening of the public health crisis.

Why can not this epidemic be controlled?

The epidemic is reported in eastern DRC, and more particularly in the provinces of Ituri and North Kivu. This region has been ravaged by political instability and conflict for more than two decades; much of the violence is rooted in the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

In this unstable context, the provision of health care services and other public health interventions necessary to interrupt the epidemic has become a highly problematic and dangerous activity.

In recent months, health facilities and health workers have been targeted by violent groups. In some cases, health services and containment efforts have been interrupted on a large scale.

This has had disastrous consequences: the epidemic has spread to 21 health zones in the two affected provinces. In some of these areas, the outbreak can be controlled. But others, like Butembo, have proved more difficult.

The epidemic is devastating vulnerable communities already affected by displacement and violence. UNICEF has identified nearly 700 orphaned children as a result of this epidemic. This epidemic has all the qualities of a humanitarian crisis.

Could the epidemic spread even further?

The epidemic occurs at the point where the eastern borders of the DRC meet with Uganda, Rwanda and South Sudan. It is feared that it will spread beyond the borders with these countries. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that more than 46 million travelers have crossed borders in these regions in recent months to prevent the spread of the disease in other countries. To date, no cases of Ebola have been exported beyond the DRC's borders.

What needs to be done to bring the DRC closer to ending this epidemic?

A major obstacle has been community resistance to health interventions and mistrust of caregivers. It is essential that measures be introduced to improve community engagement and participation in public health activities related to the epidemic. In its latest external status report, the WHO stated that considerable progress was being made to gain the trust of communities.

Secondly, it is important to manage the increasing risk of fatigue among health care workers, public health professionals and other stakeholders as the epidemic continues to evolve endlessly into view. These workers are pushed to the extreme, working long hours, days, weeks and months in very trying conditions.

Responsive and vigorous responses are needed until the epidemic is declared over: it is essential to take care of the health and public health staff. This is easier said than done and, in addition, the safety of the staff badigned to the outbreak has been a problem for several months. Given the complex political situation in the region, violence is unlikely to end.

WHO says measures have been taken to improve the safety of health workers. More guards were deployed in treatment centers and in the premises used by health workers.

It is also crucial to ensure that sufficient resources are available to continue the fight against this epidemic. This includes sufficient and uninterrupted supplies of Ebola vaccine to enable the DRC to cross this epidemic and beyond. The WHO says that there has been no interruption of vaccine supply so far. But as the epidemic continues to worsen, one wonders if this situation will remain the same.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.