WHO reports shortage of medical staff during Ebola outbreak in DR Congo — Asharq Al-Awsat
The Democratic Republic of the Congo lacks medical workers to staff Ebola treatment centers, especially in the eastern province of North Kivu, where the number of cases rose by 73% in three weeks. The World Health Organization stated this, Asharq Al-Awsat reports.
According to the latest government data, the outbreak has affected seven provinces of the country. A total of 7,773 cases and 3,759 deaths have been confirmed. The WHO notes that virus transmission is uneven across different regions: in some provinces, the number of cases and deaths is declining, while in others it continues to rise.
Situation in the provinces
WHO Regional Emergency Director for Africa Marie Roseline Bélizère said that from August 31 to September 20, the number of cases decreased by 26% in Ituri province, the epicenter of the outbreak, and by 15% in Haut-Uélé. At the same time, she stressed that the outbreak has still not been brought under control because it has spread over a large area.
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According to WHO representatives, the situation is complicated by an unstable security situation, population displacement, a strike by medical workers, and staff shortages at healthcare facilities. WHO Ebola response manager Catherine Smallwood said that after several weeks of growth in North Kivu, the number of cases and deaths began to decline. However, treatment facilities, despite increasing the number of beds daily, do not have enough staff and partners to operate fully.
Pay issues and risks for children
WHO representative in Congo Anne Ancia said that one Ebola treatment center requires approximately 300 specialists, including anesthesiologists, hygienists, nurses, and general practitioners. Frontline medical workers previously went on strike in Ituri over unpaid wages, worsening people's access to care. Health Minister Roger Kamba said in July that the government was checking payroll records after people not involved in anti-epidemic work had been included in them.
The WHO also identified high mortality among children under five as a separate problem: the fatality rate in this group exceeds 60%, while among adults it is approximately 40%. Smallwood explained that detecting Ebola in young children is difficult because they cannot always describe their symptoms, and the manifestations of the disease can be ambiguous.
