Kinshasa, 24 April 2022 – As a case of the Ebola virus has been confirmed in Mbandaka, an equatorial province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the International Rescue Committee (IRC) is extremely concerned about the potential spread of the virus in an already shaky country. from the last outbreak of the Ebola virus and years of uncertainty. This is the third outbreak in the Equatorial Province since 2018.
Adama Coulibaly, IRC director for the DRC, said
“The situation in the DRC has become almost endemic. The DRC Ministry of Health already has significant experience in rapidly controlling the virus from previous outbreaks, and we hope that the government, with the support of humanitarian agencies, will be able to stop the spread of the disease and mobilize resources to address the causes of the disease. there is still a high mortality rate. We need to do everything necessary to break the transmission chain.
“IRC has significant experience in the emergency response to Ebola in the DRC, we responded in North Kivu in 2018 and 2021 and in Equator in 2018 and 2020. IRC supports health centers to provide testing, follow-up, infection prevention and control and treatment. The IRC is also working with communities to support the Ministry of Health’s measures to prevent Ebola. Our teams are currently in talks with the Ministry of Health to identify needs and prepare for a potential response.
“It is imperative that we apply the lessons learned from past outbreaks to stop the spread of Ebola in the DRC and beyond. Women and girls are always less affected during crises, but they are also key players in the virus response, and we must ensure that women and girls are protected during each of these many crises. The IRC stands in solidarity with the affected communities and calls for immediate action and funding from the first aid agencies to control both outbreaks and prevent further spread.
There are now more people facing a severe famine crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo than has been registered in any other country. The DRC is in the top five on the IRC’s emergency watch list for the third year in a row, reflecting persistent instability in a country now in its fourth decade of major humanitarian crisis.
IRC responded to the Ebola epidemic in 2018-2020 in North Kivu and Ituri by working in more than 70 health facilities in Beni, Mabalako, Butembo, Goma and Mambasa for Infection Prevention and Control (IPC). The IRC also works to protect women and children and integrates Ebola-related protection issues in areas where the IRC supports primary health care services. The IRC is also working to tackle the West African epidemic in 2014-2016 in Liberia and Sierra Leone.
The IRC has been working in the DRC since 1996, providing emergency and humanitarian assistance to those affected by violence and evictions. As the country struggles to recover from decades of conflict and widespread disease, IRC is focusing our efforts in Tanganyika, Ituri and North and South Kivu, providing emergency health care, shelter, water, sanitation and emergency supplies to hundreds of thousands of people in the east. and central Congo.
CONTACTS WITH THE MEDIA
Madiha Raza
International Rescue Committee
+254 (0) 769 709 357
madiha.raza@rescue.org
IRC Global Communications
+1 646 761 0307
communications@rescue.org
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