October 2014

Kinshasa (DRC)

The Ebola outbreak that was declared in August in the Equateur province of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has not yet been contained. The Ebola response teams, including 50 members of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), are currently working in very difficult conditions because of the lack of roads in the area, the misinformation in the local communities about the disease, and the risk of not treating those who might have been in touch with the virus. Two treatment centers have been established, one in Lokolia (40 beds) and one in Boende (10 beds). According to health authorities, there have been over 70 cases, of which 41 have died. Since the beginning of the intervention, 42 admissions have been registered in the Ebola treatment facilities. From 20 laboratory-confirmed cases, 12 people died and 7 patients were able to defeat the virus and return to their communities. One patient is still in care. “There is no cure for Ebola but if you provide good care to patients, the body has time to develop immunity and beat the virus,” explains Carolina Nanclares, medical advisor in Lokolia. The sooner the treatment is administered, the better the chances of healing. Therefore, it is extremely important for patients to go to treatment centers as soon as symptoms appear. Raising awareness among the population remains one of the main challenges of this intervention. “There are a lot of misconceptions and superstitions around Ebola and what happens inside the treatment centres, and the precautions to be taken in an Ebola outbreak often clash with local practices.