Democratic Republic of Congo: 100 days of Ebola disease outbreak
Faster and more flexible response needed to curb deadly spread.
Almost 100 days since the Ebola disease outbreak was declared in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) warns that communities do not have enough support to contain the disease. This outbreak has become the largest and deadliest in the country’s history and continues to spread at an alarming rate within a country already grappling with conflict, violence, displacement, hunger and other diseases.
Training health workers and community leaders on case detection, referrals and infection prevention and control measures must be bolstered within communities affected by the outbreak.
“This epidemic continues to spread, moving faster than the response can keep up.”
Javid Abdelmoneim, international president of MSF
Over the past week, deaths due to Ebola disease have been reported at a rate of roughly one every half hour. From May 15, when the outbreak was declared, until Aug. 16, national authorities have reported more than 5,000 confirmed cases and more than 2,400 deaths.
“This epidemic continues to spread, moving faster than the response can keep up,” says Javid Abdelmoneim, international president of MSF. “Treatment centres remain essential for saving lives, but this response needs more than extra beds. It needs better detection, safe isolation for sick people and their contacts and support to health workers. People seeking care in existing health facilities also need to be protected from infection. Crucially, the response must be built with communities, not around them.”
In Rho displacement camp, near Drodro, Ituri, community leaders have worked with MSF to encourage people with symptoms to seek testing, isolation and treatment early. They also promote infection prevention and control measures to reduce the risk of community transmission. In the overcrowded camp, which is home to nearly 50,000 people, this collaboration has helped limit the spread of Ebola disease and reduce mortality.
“We know our communities and how to reach our people,” says Ezrome Kiza Lumani, a community leader living in the camp. “When Ebola arrived, we did not wait. We spoke with families, listened to their fears and encouraged people with symptoms to seek care. We have a crucial role to play in stopping this outbreak.”
Since the outbreak was officially declared, more than 60 per cent of Ebola disease deaths in DRC have occurred outside – and often far away from – Ebola Treatment Centres. This means many people are dying at home or in their communities without receiving care and the virus continues to spread before cases are detected. Worryingly, case numbers are rising rapidly beyond the epicentre of Ituri, with North Kivu province experiencing particularly high levels of mortality and mistrust in the response.
“With cases emerging in new areas with little or no previous experience managing Ebola disease, Ebola-trained healthcare workers are urgently needed not only inside treatment centres, but also directly in affected communities,” says Trish Newport, MSF’s emergency program manager in Ituri province.
MSF is currently responding across Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Tshopo and Haut-Uélé provinces. Teams are operating seven Ebola Treatment Centres, as well as isolation units, in affected areas, with more than 430 beds available — representing one third of all beds in the overall response. More than 1,400 MSF staff are supporting the response. Since the start of the outbreak, our teams have admitted more than 1,950 patients, of which more than 750 patients, were confirmed to have Ebola disease.
In Beni, North Kivu province, we have worked to move our response within communities. Through supporting existing health facilities, systematic and symptomatic treatment can start quickly. Across the response to the outbreak in DRC, more must be done to ensure people can receive the care they need closer to home.
“Health workers and community leaders need training to help detect cases early, refer people safely, reinforce infection prevention and control and protect themselves and others from infection,” says Newport. “The World Health Organization, other UN agencies, humanitarian organizations, including MSF, and the Congolese Ministry of Health must urgently expand this training and support.”
Community leaders like Emery Guba Mateso, from Rho displacement camp, are sharing their experiences to encourage people to seek care. He lost his son to the disease and later survived an infection himself.
“As a person who has recovered from Ebola disease, the message I would like to share with the community is: as soon as the first symptoms appear, it is important to seek medical care promptly, because early access to appropriate treatment increases the chances of recovery,” says Guba Mateso.
