Voice of America
30 Jun 2019, 01:05 GMT+10
GENEVA - A senior World Health Organization official warns efforts to contain the spread of the deadly Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo will remain elusive unless the vicious cycle of violence in the region is broken. Latest WHO figures put the number of Ebola cases at 2284, including 1540 deaths and 637 survivors.
WHO Assistant Director-General for Emergency Response Ibrahima Soce Fall says there has been good progress in scaling up operations to contain the spread of the deadly ebola virus in conflict-ridden North Kivu and Ituri provinces.
Fall has just returned from a three-month stint in Butembo, the epicenter of the Ebola epidemic in DR Congo. He says last week there were 79 new Ebola cases, 27 fewer than the previous week. He says infections are continuing to fall in the major urban centers of Butembo and Katwa thanks to coverage in all 33 health areas.
At the same time, he tells VOA the operation is running into difficulty in the rural areas of Mabalako and Mandima, the new hot spots of the epidemic.
"The access is more challenging. In the same area, we have some villages where you have both ADF (Allied Democratic Forces) armed group coming from Uganda and some Mai Mai groups," said Fall. "So, access needs to be assessed on a daily basis to be able to move up to the intervention. So, it is really important to take into account this very volatile situation."
WHO Appeals to Ugandans With Ebola Contact to Trust Vaccine Plea follows reports that 13 people who came in contact with the virus declined to be vaccinated
Eastern DRC has been politically unstable since 1998. There are an estimated 4.5 million internally displaced people in the country. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees says new displacements are occurring mainly in the eastern provinces of Ituri and North and South Kivu. More than 100 armed groups reportedly are engaged in sporadic fighting in the region.
Fall says constant and skilled negotiations with the armed groups are needed to gain access to these volatile areas.
"The outbreak started there last year and spread to other areas," Fall said. "So, it is important to break this vicious cycle to contain very quickly the situation in Mabalako and Mandima, where we have more than 55 percent of the cases coming from."
Fall says it will be exceedingly difficult to contain the virus if more money is not immediately forthcoming. He says $98 million is needed to support the government-led response to defeat ebola. To date, he says less than half that amount has been received.
Get a daily dose of Irish Sun news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Irish Sun.
More InformationWASHINGTON, DC - A coalition of 29 U.S. senators, spanning both parties, introduced a resolution on Thursday calling on the Trump administration...
For decades, the US Agency for International Development (USAID) has been vital in combating HIV across the Asia–Pacific region, where...
MIAMI, Florida: Ken Griffin, the CEO of Citadel and a billionaire investor announced this week he would loan his rare first-edition...
GAZA - Israel Air Force pilots have heavily bombarded Gaza this week, killing hundreds and severely wounding hundreds more. The...
DOHA, Qatar: Boeing secured its largest widebody aircraft deal this week, as Qatar Airways placed firm orders for 160 jets with options...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: Goldman Sachs has agreed to pay a US$1.45 million civil penalty to resolve allegations from the Financial...
STOCKHOLM, Sweden: Sweden plans to propose that the European Union join the Pacific Rim trading bloc, the CPTPP, aiming to create the...
DUBLIN, Ireland: Ford is set to release a software update within the next two weeks for 2,850 Irish owners of Kuga plug-in hybrid vehicles...
DUBLIN, Ireland: Ireland has the lowest availability rate for new cancer medicines in Western Europe, with patients waiting nearly...
WARSAW, Poland: Poland has ordered Russia to shut down its consulate in Krakow following allegations that Moscow was involved in a...
DUBLIN, Ireland: Hundreds of spectators gathered at the Hill of Uisneach over the weekend for a Celtic fire procession, a centuries-old...
DUBLIN, Ireland: With artificial intelligence rapidly reshaping industries worldwide, Ireland has established a new Oireachtas committee...