Armed groups unrest hold back response — DR Congo Ebola outbreak

The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) continues to spread amid repeated and ongoing deadly attacks on civilians and frontline health workers by armed groups that are obstructing efforts to stop transmission, UN responders said on Friday.

Cases and health response

In an update, the UN Senior Ebola Response Coordinator, Julien Harneis, stressed that more people are being killed by Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) fighters than by Ebola disease caused by Bundibugyo virus in recent days.

And yet the attacks on “tens of villages all across the south of Ituri and North Kivu (provinces) goes unnoticed”, Mr. Harneis maintained.

“People are scared, people are furious at the lack of action on this.”

Echoing that message, the UN World Health Organization (WHO)’s Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, Executive Director of WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme, said that despite much progress in containing transmission within eastern DRC, about 400 to 500 cases of infection are still being identified every week.

This trend is linked to the emergence of cases in rural and hard-to-reach areas.

Outbreak background

In more positive developments, the WHO official noted that prevention efforts have led to “a significant reduction” in transmission in previous hotspots, in particular Bunia, Mongbwalu, Rampara and Nizi, all in Ituri province in eastern DRC.