The rhythm of the appearance of new cases of Ebola in R.D. from the Congo
The rate of occurrence of new cases of Ebola in the northwest of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) increased in the last week in a context in which insecurity and mistrust continue to be raised as two major obstacles to control this epidemic outbreak.
According to the updated figures, Ebola cases have risen to 1,089, of which 679 people have died, Ibrahima Socé said in a telephone press conference on Tuesday, the director for emergencies in Africa of the World Health Organization (WHO). -Fall.
In the last week 72 new cases have been presented, compared to 56 of the previous one.
From Butambu, one of the localities where the transmission of the virus is more intense, the representative of the organization explained that although the geographical extension of the outbreak has been reduced, recent episodes of violence led to the temporary interruption of services for those infected and your close friends
The acts of violence had to do mainly with actions of armed groups active in the affected area, but there were also attacks by certain communities that distrust the organizations that work to contain the expansion of this outbreak, the second most serious that has occurred in the DRC.
Socé-Fall pointed out that for this reason security has been placed around the treatment centers in coordination with the local police.
Despite the repeated outbreaks of Ebola in the DRC in recent years, "in some places it is still considered a minor problem" and there are even communities that do not even believe in the existence of the disease, which in the case of this outbreak unleashed in the provinces of North Kivu and Ituri.
Among the reasons is that it is the first time that the Ebola virus circulates in that area of the country and that its symptoms are similar to those of other diseases, such as malaria and typhoid.
WHO and local organizations have carried out extensive awareness-raising work in this regard and one of its most significant moments occurred a few days ago, when a group of tribal chiefs who were very skeptical about Ebola agreed to receive the vaccine against the disease.
