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Attacks on Ebola treatment centers in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are likely to reverse the progress made during the current epidemic in the north-east of the country, said Thursday at the head of the agency of the United Nations.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters in Geneva that new attacks had occurred a few hours earlier against a facility in the health zone of Biena, near Butembo.
"These attacks could reverse the progress we have made," said the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO). "We are working to strike a balance between protecting patients and staff against attacks by armed groups and building trust and community ownership. It's not a simple solution. we must do both to end the epidemic. "
If confirmed, the Thursday morning attack will be the fourth on the processing or transit facilities of the past two weeks. The death of an individual in the community resulted in an "escalation of violence" and the local Ebola transit center "severely damaged," Tedros said.
Welcoming the courage and commitment of those who responded to the Ebola threat, the WHO Director-General added that there were few details beyond what we already knew of the last attack.
"We have not had reports of health workers or injured patients, but we expect more information," he said.
Last Saturday, the health official went to a health center in Butembo a few hours after his second attack, leaving a dead policeman and a member of the wounded medical staff.
Out of more than 100 active armed groups in northeastern DRC, Tedros cited the Mai-Mai and Allied Democratic Forces as potentially responsible.
Ebola: an additional burden for the desperate community
"The security situation means that people are worried about issues other than health," he said. "It is understandable that the Ebola virus is an additional burden for an already overburdened population. This creates a difficult climate for the answer. And during many visits, this is what I witnessed. Despair in the community. Peace or no peace. "
Despite the challenges posed by the current insecurity, Tedros said the Ebola virus had been beneficial because it is now "concentrated" in the towns of Butembo and Katwa.
The outbreak was also contained in 11 of the 28 communities where cases were recorded "and we stopped transmission to Beni, Mangina, Komanda and Oicha," said the Director-General of WHO.
There is also a "growing acceptance" of communities for people who respond to the Ebola virus, he insisted, noting that 90% of people had agreed to be vaccinated and follow-up visits.
The latest data from the DRC authorities indicate that, at the last outbreak on 1 August in the Kivus, there were 927 confirmed and probable cases of Ebola, including 584 deaths.
More than 87,000 people have been vaccinated, including 27,000 health workers in the DRC and 5,000 in neighboring countries. In addition, more than 58,000 "contacts" have been registered and over 4,200 are being monitored for signs of illness.
There are also "twice as many new cases now as in January," Tedros said, dropping from 50 cases a week to an average of 25 cases now.
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