Kinshasa, April 24, 2022 鈥 As a case of the Ebola Virus is confirmed in Mbandaka, Equateur province of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the 探花精选 (探花精选) is monitoring the potential spread of the virus in a country already reeling from the last Ebola virus outbreak and years of insecurity. This is the third outbreak in the Equateur province since 2018.
Adama Coulibaly, 探花精选鈥檚 Country Director for the DRC said,
"The situation in the DRC has become almost endemic. The DRC Ministry of Health already has considerable experience in containing the virus quickly from previous outbreaks and we hope that the government, with support from humanitarian agencies will be able to stop the spread of the disease and mobilize resources to address the causes of the resurgence of this disease, which still has a high fatality rate. We must do everything necessary to break the chain of transmission.
鈥溙交ň has considerable experience in emergency response to Ebola in DRC, we responded in North Kivu in 2018 and 2021 and in Equator in 2018 and 2020. 探花精选 has been supporting health centers to provide testing, contact tracing, infection prevention and control and treatment. The 探花精选 has also been working with communities to support Ministry of Health measures to prevent Ebola. Right now, our teams are in discussions with the Ministry of Health to ascertain needs and prepare for a potential response.
鈥淚t is imperative we apply the lessons learned from past outbreaks to stop the spread of Ebola in DRC and beyond its borders. Women and girls are always more adversely affected during crises but are also key participants in the response to the virus and we must ensure the protection of women and girls throughout each of these multiple crises. The 探花精选 stands in solidarity with the affected communities and is calling for immediate action and funding for frontline aid agencies to contain both outbreaks and prevent further spread.鈥
There are now more people facing a severe hunger crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo than has ever been recorded in any country. DRC ranks in the 探花精选鈥檚 emergency Watchlist top five for the third year in a row, reflecting persistent volatility in a country that is now in its fourth decade of a major humanitarian crisis.
The 探花精选 responded to the 2018-2020 Ebola outbreak in North Kivu and Ituri working in more than 70 health facilities throughout Beni, Mabalako, Butembo, Goma and Mambasa on infection prevention and control (IPC). The 探花精选 is also working on women鈥檚 and children鈥檚 protection, and integrating Ebola-related protection concerns in areas where the 探花精选 supports primary health care services. The 探花精选 also worked to contain the 2014-2016 West Africa outbreak in Liberia and Sierra Leone.
The 探花精选 has been working in the DRC since 1996 providing emergency assistance and humanitarian aid to those affected by violence and uprooted from their homes. As the country struggles to recover from decades of conflict and widespread disease, the 探花精选 is focusing our efforts in Tanganyika, Ituri, and North and South Kivu by providing emergency health care, shelter, water, sanitation, and emergency supplies to hundreds of thousands of people in eastern and central Congo