Democratic Republic of Congo: MSF team supports response to new Ebola disease cases in AFC/M23-governed area of North Kivu
Community outreach is critical to preventing further transmission.
Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has sent a mobile team to support in response to the emergence of new confirmed cases of the Bundibugyo virus in Kayna and Alimbongo, in the southern part of Lubero Territory.
Following the alert regarding nine confirmed cases of Ebola virus disease in Kayna and Alimbongo on Oct. 2—an area of North Kivu under the control of the AFC/M23—a mobile MSF team arrived in the area on Oct. 6 to strengthen patient care and help limit the spread of the virus. Our team is also supporting the implementation of infection prevention and control measures and community outreach activities.
In September, MSF had already built an isolation centre at the Kayna general hospital. But as new outbreaks emerge, the response continues to face numerous challenges: some patients’ refusal to be isolated, unsafe burials, mistrust among parts of the community and insecurity stemming from the armed conflict.
“Part of the community does not fully believe that Ebola disease exists,” says Nicodeme Kabuyaya, MSF deputy project coordinator. “Community outreach is the top priority to prevent the epidemic from spreading.”
One area of concern is the closure of roads to limit movement as part of the response. In the context of armed conflict, these restrictions complicate the supply of essential goods to communities and increase their vulnerability.
This epidemic, characterized by the emergence of multiple outbreaks, requires those responding to be highly mobile. The human and logistical resources needed to intervene quickly and contain outbreaks wherever they arise are also critical.
