Congo-Kinshasa: Ebola fighters are now facing attacks as they fight a deadly disease

By Michael Tantoh

Cape Town – Security concerns remain a major hurdle at the end of the Ebola outbreak in DR Congo, which has already killed more than 200 people. On November 16, more than a dozen WHO staff members had to be evacuated to Goma for psychological care, after their home was hit by a shrapnel that was not damaged. not exploded.

The attack caused a temporary suspension of vaccination and the operations center, but the teams follow certain potential case alerts in the communities, meet the contacts and ensure their well-being. The treatment centers, managed by WHO partners, remain operational.

Just one day before the WHO attack, the UN announced that seven of its peacekeepers had been killed and wounded ten during an operation led by the UN. Congolese army against a rebel group in Beni.

The Ebola outbreak was formalized in August when the country's Ministry of Health announced that the province of North Kivu was affected. The World Health Organization continues to work with the government to fight the new epidemic. The exact number of people treated varies daily, while suspected cases are systematically investigated to confirm whether or not the Ebola virus disease.

The Ugandan Ministry of Health has classified five neighboring districts of DR Congo – Ntoroko, Kasese, Bundibugyo, Kanungu and Hoima – as high risk areas.

"The Ministry of Health has begun screening at Entebbe International Airport all flights from DR Congo and South Sudan," said Dr. Henry Mwebesa, director of health services. ministry, on the sidelines of the 3rd conference of the Greater Uganda Medical Association in Kampala. Friday.

He also warned that the districts of Kampala and Wakiso are at high risk due to theft.

The latest Ebola alert was reported Thursday in Hoima district, in the west of the country, which also shares a border with DR Congo. Simon Chadia, a 31-year-old boda-boda driver, died of symptoms similar to Ebola.

Several experts, including J. Stephen Morrison, co-author of a recent paper published by his think tank, believe that a "terrible scenario" is playing out for Congo. According to NPR, Morrison, who heads the Global Health Policy Center of the Washington DC-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, said attacks in the conflict-ridden region would intensify and health workers be targeted.

Total Cases: 366
– Confirmed cases: 319
– Probable cases: 47

Number of deaths: 214
– Confirmed: 167
– Likely: 47

(information provided by WHO dated 17 November 2018)