Battle against Ebola epidemic in Congo is in trouble

The war-torn northeastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo is suffering through the second-longest Ebola outbreak on record. Over seven months, there have been 907 recorded cases and 569 deaths. And despite the use of promising antiviral drugs and a recent vaccine, there is no end in sight.

What’s worse, heavy-handed measures by outside aid organizations, the local police and the military have alienated communities, leading some people to spurn treatment and even attack treatment centers. On Thursday, Dr. Joanne Liu, the international president of Doctors Without Borders, said that her own organization was among those that had fallen short. She called on medical teams to treat patients “as humans and not as a biothreat.”

On the ground: More than 80,000 people have been vaccinated, but the region where the outbreak occurred is a longtime conflict zone, with up to 100 armed groups as well as security forces posing a constant threat of violence. “In the last month alone, there were more than 30 different incidents and attacks against elements of the response” to Ebola, Dr. Liu said.

Quote: Referring to affected communities, Dr. Liu said, “They hear constant advice to wash their hands, but nothing about the lack of soap and water. They see their relatives sprayed with chlorine and wrapped in plastic bags, buried without ceremony. Then they see their possessions burned.”