CAFOD: DRC Ebola outbreak a 'humanitarian crisis'

Medic dons protective gear

On 1 August 2018, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared an outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) after confirming four new cases in the Mangina area, in the territory of Beni, North Kivu.

UK aid agency CAFOD is already working alongside local partners in the area and has contacted specialists in Caritas Congo who responded to the Ebola outbreak in Equateur province.

Bernard Balibuno, CAFOD's country representative in DRC, who is already on the ground, said: "This is the second outbreak of Ebola in DRC we have seen this year. Yet, due to the instability of the area where this outbreak is located, it has the potential to play out very differently.

"Beni is an area that has been experiencing compounding humanitarian crisis' and ongoing conflicts for many years. Thousands have been forced to flee their homes and are already at increased risk of hunger and disease.

"To add an Ebola outbreak to this situation is likely to push many communities to breaking point.

"CAFOD has already been able to reach out to specialists from Caritas Congo who were on the frontline in the outbreak which ended just a fortnight ago.

"The priority will be to work with local communities to prevent the virus from spreading. This may involve the quick delivery of support, clean water and information, as well as assisting with the safe and dignified burials of people who have died which is critical for containing the spread of the virus."

According to the health ministry, the latest outbreak has already claimed the lives of 20 people, including two health workers and comes only nine days after an outbreak in the western part of the country, in Equateur province, was officially declared over.

CAFOD has a long history of working in the DRC, specifically in Beni, where CAFOD's work has already reached thousands of displaced people and host communities with food, clean and safe water and sanitation facilities.