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The fight to contain the latest Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo is facing a "perfect storm" of challenges, including rebel violence and pre-election manipulations, the UN said on Tuesday.
Attacks by armed opposition groups in North Kivu province, affected by the epidemic, have increased in recent weeks, including during a deadly raid in the city of Beni. .
Meanwhile, pre-existing fears and misconceptions about the virus are being exploited by politicians before the controversial December vote in the DRC, leading to increased mistrust of health workers among the population, Salama said.
"We are extremely concerned that several factors could come together in the coming weeks or months to create a perfect storm," he said.
"The answer at this point is at a critical juncture."
Salama also warned that the geographical spread of the epidemic was spreading, particularly to border areas, with Uganda now facing an "imminent threat".
The epidemic, the tenth of the DRC's history, has caused 100 deaths since its declaration on August 1 in eastern North Kivu, the WHO said.
– & # 39; Conspiracy theories & # 39; –
The Congolese army accused the Allied Democratic Forces – an Islamist rebel group born in western Uganda – of Saturday's attack in the city of Beni that killed at least 21 people.
Salama said the community had called for a period of protest and mourning until Friday.
"This basically means for the UN family, including the WHO (there is) a lockout in Beni." Our operations are in fact suspended, "he added.
Beni is a key hub for the operations of WHO in North Kivu.
Being locked up there, even for a few days, prevents health workers from carrying out the crucial work of tracking people who may have been in contact with Ebola, Salama warned.
He also noted that other communities in the region, such as Butembo, also considered declaring several days of mourning to show their solidarity with those of Beni.
"It has the potential to spiral," Salama said.
"Over the days, if we see dangerous burials that we can not answer, if we see symptomatic people who are inaccessible, we can see this situation deteriorate very quickly."
The DRC is also ahead three months ahead of the elections scheduled to replace President Joseph Kabila.
Salama pointed out that while most people remained open to health care workers, there was a spread of "conspiracy theories" that the Ebola virus was part of a conspiracy
The fight to contain the latest Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is facing a "perfect storm" of challenges, according to the UN
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