DR Congo: Ebola outbreak

Source: CAFOD

Separated by Ebola, but united by faith. This picture shows a priest in quarantine being blessed by his bishop in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Father Lucien Ambunga contracted Ebola while ministering to victims but is recovering. He was visited by Bishop Fridolin Ambongo, whose Mbandaka-Bikoro diocese is the epicentre of this latest outbreak. So far 54 cases have been identified and 25 victims have died, including another priest, according to the DRC health ministry.

As in the 2015/16 Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone and Liberia, the Church, its lay staff and volunteers are playing a crucial role in spreading awareness messages and hygiene promotion among communities. CAFOD's local partner, Caritas Congo, will be taking on the community education part of this Ebola response.

The Director of Caritas Mbandaka, Abbé Louis Iyeli, sent this report to CAFOD: "We have an active team in Mbandaka and four local teams who are already on the ground in Bikoro, Ntondo, Itipo-Iboko and Ingende. Two others are monitoring neighbouring areas including Irebu and Lukolela. We will focus our efforts on prevention, water, hygiene and sanitation, community mobilisation and communication. We will therefore be relying on the support and involvement of priests, religious men and women, teachers and nursing staff working in the affected areas."

For more information see: www.cafod.org.uk/