Ebola update: In DR Congo, the outbreak continues to worsen while mistrust and violence show no signs of abating (06.06.2019)

Violent storm approaching the Makeke Transit Center: first true test of the sealing of our TC. There were corrections to be made.
Violent orage venant droit sur nous, CT Makeke: premier vrai test de l'”etancheite” de notre CT. Il y a eu des corrections a faire

After ten months into the outbreak, the number of Ebola cases continues to increase.

GENEVA, Switzerland, June 6, 2019 –  The high level of insecurity and the lack of trust in the Ebola response continue to discourage the population from seeking care in Ebola treatment centres, resulting in an increased likelihood of the virus spreading across the general & traditional healthcare system.

While the number of new cases being reported is high, the real number is likely to be even higher.

The lack of trust in the Ebola response and the (related) deterioration of the security situation has led to severe restriction of many Ebola-related activities, including the ability of teams to move quickly on the ground to investigate alerts and trace contacts. People are either dying at home or in general healthcare facilities. People dying of Ebola in the community presents a significant transmission risk and testifies once more to the persistent lack of trust in the intervention.

It will not be possible to end this outbreak if there is no trust built between the response and the affected people. We have to listen to the needs of communities, restore their choice when it comes to managing their health, and involve them in every aspect of the Ebola response.

About the epidemiological situation (4th June 2019)

According to the official figures provided by the Ministry of Health of DR Congo, 2025 cases have been identified at the moment, including 1931 confirmed and 94 probable cases. 1358 people have died from the disease and 552 people have been cured so far.

République démocratique du Congo: Note d’informations humanitaires pour la Province du Nord-Kivu (06.06.2019)

RDC: Front Commun pour le Congo (FCC) – Note Circulaire aux Camarades Chefs des Regroupements (28.05.2019)

RDC: Union Nationale de la Presse du Congo (UNPC) – Communique de presse de la Commisson de Discipline et d’Ethique Professionelle rendant publique de la Decision No. CDEP/002/2019 portant sur les affaires Jean-Marie Kasamba, President de l’UNPC/Kinshasa – Contre les journalistes de Tele 50, et inversement (05.06.2019)

RDC: Ville de Kinshasa – Commandement – Communique de Presse (05.06.2019)

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) calls for “reset” of Ebola response as cases surpass 2,000 (04.06.2019)

More than 1,300 people have died in what is now the second deadliest Ebola outbreak in history.

NAIROBI, Kenya, June 4, 2019 – Aid organizations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) need to “reset” their response to the current Ebola outbreak and place more emphasis on understanding and addressing persistent community fears, mistrust and concerns.

Nicole Fassina, Ebola Virus Disease Coordinator for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), said:

The Ebola response effort has undoubtedly saved lives and helped prevent the spread of this disease beyond North Kivu and Ituri. We’ve now reached more than 2,000 Ebola cases and the numbers being reported have risen dramatically. We need to reset the response, and place communities at the centre of all of our efforts.”

More than 1,300 people have died in what is now the second deadliest Ebola outbreak in history. Worryingly, the number of Ebola cases has increased significantly in recent weeks to between 15-20 new cases per day.

This escalation is at least in part due to the precarious security situation in the affected area. Ebola responders do not only face resistance from communities but are also exposed to threats and attacks by armed groups. IFRC is concerned that partners limit their use of security or military support as much as possible. Increasing armed protection for Ebola responders may aggravate the tensions that already exist between communities and responders.

With the announcement last week by the Inter-Agency Standing Committee of a scale up of the Ebola response, now is the time to critically look at how we change our approach with communities.

We welcome the commitment of partners to scale up the response to this outbreak. But we need to ensure we do this in the right way,” said Fassina.

“As a humanitarian community, we need to invest more in locally-led response approaches. This outbreak will only end when communities are engaged and leading the response efforts themselves.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

RDC: Ville de Kinshasa – Assemblee Provinciale – Portant Exclusion Temporaire de l’Encinte de l’Assemblee Provinciale deKinshasa (03.06.2019)

RDC: Machine Katumbi Chapwe asbl – Declaration Politique de Desapprobation suite aux propos tenus par le Rapporteur de l’Assemblee Provinciale du Lualaba (30.05.2019)

République démocratique du Congo – Note d’informations humanitaires pour la Province du Nord-Kivu (30 mai 2019)

RDC: Cabinet du President la Republique – Communique Officiel (29.05.2019)