Ebola outbreak continues to spread in Congo
The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo remains intense and continues to spread.
To date, about 7,200 cases have been recorded in seven provinces, 3,500 of which ended in death, 1news.az reports, citing the UN News Service.
Representatives of the UN and the World Health Organization (WHO) have called on the international community to step up support for the DRC in order to bring the epidemic under control.
"The outbreak remains deadly and large-scale," notes UN Senior Ebola Response Coordinator Julien Harneis. According to him, although progress has been achieved in some areas, in others the number of cases continues to grow, especially in North Kivu province.
It is noted that the epidemic has spread across a vast part of the country's territory. The affected areas are located in two time zones, and a flight between some of them takes more than two and a half hours. The work of specialists is also complicated by the lack of necessary infrastructure and attacks on medical workers.
According to Harneis, most residents of the DRC support the anti-epidemic measures, but a small group of people, predominantly young men, carries out attacks on health workers and other participants in the operation.
It is emphasized that the epidemiological situation differs significantly in various parts of the country: in North Kivu the number of cases is growing rapidly. In Haut-Uele, near the border with South Sudan, 30 to 40 new cases are also recorded weekly. In South Kivu no new cases have been detected since May, while in South Ubangi one case of the disease was recently recorded.
Olivier le Polain, head of the WHO's epidemiology and analytics for operations unit, emphasized that epidemiological surveillance and case detection must continue even in those areas where no new cases are currently being registered. Given the scale of the virus's spread, it may take a long time yet to bring the situation under control.
The authorities of the DRC, humanitarian organizations and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention are closely coordinating their actions, Harneis reports. The comprehensive approach has already made it possible to increase the number of hospital beds. Cooperation in the field of vaccination and preventive treatment also continues.
At the same time, representatives of the UN and WHO warn that even when the first signs of improvement appear, the measures being taken must not be relaxed. "In the fight against Ebola, we cannot slow down," Harneis said. He called for intensifying the work and providing specialists with all the necessary resources.
According to experts, despite the first signs of improvement, the epidemic could gain strength again. It is noted that the number of cases is the highest in the entire history of the DRC.
It is noted that one of the main problems remains the lack of funding. Additional funds are needed both to fight Ebola and to carry out a broader humanitarian operation, which is currently funded by only 49%.
"What happens in the future depends on our actions today," Harneis noted.
Representatives of the UN and WHO emphasize that timely funding will make it possible to curb the spread of Ebola and avoid significantly more severe humanitarian and economic consequences.
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