In view of the alarmingly rapid spread of the Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Misereor will support health centres and hospitals in strengthening protective measures and providing people with comprehensive information about the dangers and hygiene rules. Health centres, parishes and schools in the north-east of Ituri Province will provide the population with targeted information - comprehensible, accessible and in various local languages.
The Misereor partner organisation BDOM Mahagi, a network of 24 health facilities - including five hospitals - is stepping up its measures to combat the current infection situation. At the same time, staff are receiving targeted training in order to recognise suspected cases at an early stage and treat them professionally.
"The current situation poses a particular challenge: The incidence of infection is spreading unusually quickly and is characterised by a high number of serious cases of illness and death. On the ground, ongoing conflicts continue to escalate, exacerbating the humanitarian situation and causing migration and refugee movements. To make matters worse, healthcare has been dramatically underfunded for years," reports Astrid Meyer, Regional Advisor for the Democratic Republic.
Global WHO cuts are taking their revenge
The current outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is the 17th in the region and is part of a long series of Ebola epidemics that are putting a heavy strain on the already weak healthcare system in the Congo. "The worldwide cuts in global health are taking dramatic revenge and are once again affecting the most vulnerable. The enormous importance of the WHO as a transnational body for the coordination and technical support of measures by national and international actors is obvious. Its chronic underfunding - especially since the withdrawal of the USA - is fatal and must be quickly revised," says Ellen Schmitt, Misereor's health officer.
Misereor is urgently dependent on donations to support health facilities in the fight against Ebola in the DR Congo:
Bank: Pax-Bank für Kirche und Caritas eG
IBAN: DE75 3706 0193 0000 1010 10
BIC: GENODED1Pax
Keyword: "Ebola Central Africa"
