Medical teams in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo are working under difficult conditions to contain the country’s largest recorded Ebola outbreak, with more than 7,000 confirmed cases and more than 3,000 deaths recorded since the outbreak began in mid-May, authorities said.
The Bundibugyo virus outbreak has spread to seven provinces and health workers are facing insecurity, difficulties accessing remote communities and resistance from some residents. Despite signs of improvement in some areas, the World Health Organisation has warned that the response remains difficult.
“It is not easy, you know, to work in my country, to see the community affected by an outbreak like Ebola without specific treatment and to work in this environment with violence, making it difficult for patients to access healthcare,” said Fabrice Ngoyi Nsakalumpu, a medical activity manager with Médecins Sans Frontières.
“So we are managing even though it is not easy, but we make the best,” he said.
The eastern provinces are especially challenging for responders because of the continuing conflict, which limits access and makes it difficult to track people who have been exposed to the virus.
There is no licensed treatment or vaccine for the Bundibugyo strain, but clinical research and response measures are underway.
