Ebola spreading in DRC’s North Kivu
THE Ebola epidemic continues to spread through the Democratic Republic of Congo’s North Kivu province.
The latest areas to be affected include the city of Butembo and a number of isolated areas that are hard to reach.
So far 440 people have been infected with the virus, 255 of whom have died.
Teams from international medical organisation Doctors Without Borders (MSF) continue to strengthen their efforts to help bring the epidemic under control.
This is the DRC’s 10th and most serious epidemic of Ebola since the virus was discovered in 1976 near the Ebola River in what was then called Zaire.
Forty years on, despite a massive and co-ordinated mobilisation by the World Health Organisation, the Congolese Ministry of Health and organisations such as MSF, the deadly virus is still spreading.
The latest urban locations to be affected are Butembo, as well as Kalenguta, 25km to its north, and Katwa, 30km to its east.
These places have all seen an increase in confirmed cases of Ebola as well as some resistance from the community.
For now, the number of cases in Butembo’s city centre is low, but cases are rising quickly in its eastern suburbs and outlying isolated districts.
“We are very concerned by the epidemiological situation in Butembo,” says John Johnson, MSF project co-ordinator in the city.
“We now know that this outbreak will last and that we must increase our efforts to get it under control.
“With the agreement of the authorities, we have made a strategic decision to roll out our activities close to the affected populations and to organise the training of key people in the community so that we can reach patients and their relatives.”
MSF’s efforts to reach infected people living in isolated areas have had initial success.
New cases are being reported from these areas and patients are being brought to Butembo, where MSF manages an Ebola treatment centre in collaboration with the health ministry. The number of beds in the Butembo centre was recently increased to 64.
Meanwhile, MSF has reinforced its activities to decontaminate health centres and vaccinate front line health workers to help contain the epidemic.
So far, 2000 front line workers have received the Ebola vaccine.
In Mangina, where the epidemic started, no new cases have been reported for several weeks.
“We should be able to end our activities in the treatment centre shortly,” says Axelle Ronsse, the co-ordinator of MSF’s Ebola response. In Beni, the number of cases per week remains stable.
However, new cases are still being confirmed daily.
“To fight this, we have stepped up our medical and health operations by opening a 48-bed transit centre that remains busy,” says Ronsse.
“We also, for example, perform decontaminations in health centres where a confirmed patient has been. But our actions aren’t limited to reactive responses: we have increased our training of health professionals and raising awareness among communities of hygiene practices.
“Four months since the start of the epidemic, we remain mobilised and vigilant in the face of new developments.”
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