Despite extensive countermeasures, the Ebola Virus spreads in Eastern Congo. One of the reasons: Growing distrust, the want to actually help.
A helper in the isolation centre, Doctors without border in Bunia, DR Congo
It is the worst Ebola outbreak in the history of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and an end is not in sight. On the contrary, According to the world health organization (WHO) is in the East of the country alone in the last week of March, 72 people with the Virus. The are more than twice as many new cases as an average of the weeks before.
A total of 2018, according to the Congolese Ministry of health, have been infected since the beginning of the epidemic in August, over 1000 people with the Ebola Virus. “I would not say that the Situation is completely out of control,” says Sevim Tuglaci, employee of the auxiliary organization Interview Doctors without borders (MSF) in the DW. “But we need to rethink the strategy change.”
In addition to the difficult security situation in the affected province of Nord-Kivu, especially of the power of the helpers to create distrust in the population. Tuglaci can understand it. “The treatment of the disease is very aggressive. Patients are isolated in the sub-centre of people in yellow suits, many come too late and die there. Families can’t bury their relatives in the traditional way – all of this leads to a lack of understanding, conspiracy theories and anger,” said the Doctor.
Attacks on treatment centers
Anger have probably also led to the Raids on the treatment centers in Katwa, Butembo and Benia at the end of February, says Tuglaci. She was part of the team in Katwa, when the attack happened there, their Congolese colleagues on the night shift at the treatment center. “The unknown set fire, threw stones and broke into the centre,” says the Doctor. For security reasons, Doctors withdrew without limits from all three locations. But previously only a Few had come in the concerned treatment centres, reported Tuglaci. “The response of all stakeholders to Ebola has failed.” on the balance sheet.
The distrust also contributed to the decision of the Congolese electoral Commission, CENI, to the cities of Beni and Butembo with the Rest of the country in the presidential and parliamentary elections at the end of December vote is likely to outbreak – officially because of the Ebola. The parliamentary elections in the two cities has been carried out, although the Ebola outbreak continues, met with incomprehension in the population.
“We are concerned about Ebola, because we had a presidential election on may 30. December was deprived of last year because of Ebola,” says a citizen in Beni, doesn’t want to mention his name in the DW-Interview. “Now we understand why the by-election on may 31. March to take place was that although Ebola has not yet been defeated.” He is convinced that Ex-President Joseph Kabila had wanted the postponement for political reasons, to his opponent, Martin Fayulu, which is in the East of the country is very popular, to outdo.
More educational work is necessary
According to Sevim Tuglaci of Doctors without borders it is currently lacking, especially education and Knowledge about Ebola. How, exactly, the next steps will look like is still unclear, but one has to think from the perspective of the inhabitants: “the helper must go to the municipalities, with the village elders to talk,” she says. But that is because of the security situation in some places is difficult.
“In some areas of the distrust of authorities is great,” says the WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier in the DW-Interview. Also, the world health organization wants to work more in the villages, more education using their local staff. “Every single village needs to be addressed individually in order to understand what is happening,” says Lindmeier. The pass, however, not from today to tomorrow. “We expect that it will take six months and is strongly influenced by the security situation depends on the floor, how it goes,” said Lindmeier.
Meanwhile, the WHO has conducted numerous immunization campaigns, in order to reduce the risk of contagion in the neighbouring countries. “The vaccine has an efficacy of about 90 percent, so we have excellent technical capabilities,” says Lindmeier. In order to defeat the disease, but also in the Congo, now that the community of donors is on the decline in the fight against Ebola.