Congo: The wave of malaria complicates the fight against Ebola

Since May, the Democratic Republic of Congo has been fighting a new Ebola outbreak. Authorities and relief organizations are also facing a strong wave of malaria. A vast campaign to prevent other infections and deaths.

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In addition to the Ebola outbreak, eastern Congo is currently experiencing a severe wave of malaria. To relieve overburdened health facilities in the Ebola region, the authorities are conducting a massive campaign to fight malaria.

Nearly 450,000 people in North Kivu province are expected to receive preventative medicines for malaria and insecticide-treated mosquito nets, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday.

Malaria worsens the tense situation

"The malaria epidemic in North Kivu has overwhelmed the person responsible for the Ebola virus," said WHO. The number of infections increased by eight times in September compared with the previous year to reach about 2,000 cases per week.

About half of the patients suspected of having Ebola in health centers suffer from malaria. Ebola high-risk hemorrhagic fever and malaria can initially cause symptoms similar to high fever and vomiting.

The campaign against malaria is being implemented by the Congolese authorities, with support from, inter alia, WHO and the United Nations Children's Fund, UNICEF. Congo is the country most affected by malaria, with millions of infections and thousands of deaths a year, behind Nigeria.

The epidemic is not yet under control

The Ebola outbreak around the city of Beni is the tenth and most serious epidemic in Central African Congo. According to the authorities, 421 people have been infected with the Ebola virus since August and 241 people have died as a result of the disease.

The Ebola virus is one of the most dangerous pathogens in the world. During an outbreak in 2014/2015, more than 11,000 people died in West Africa. Infected people can easily transmit the virus.
© dpa