DRC: Ebola outbreak containment faces violence, resistance amid ongoing health needs

In the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, a race against time is underway to contain the spread of Ebola, a dangerous disease that has already claimed over 100 lives in the Ituri and North Kivu regions. Young mothers like Marléne are bringing their infants for vaccination, acutely aware of the virus's transmission through contact and the devastating consequences for families.

However, efforts to combat the outbreak face significant hurdles. The World Health Organization highlights that violence against health facilities and community resistance are major barriers. This is the 17th Ebola outbreak the DRC has experienced since 1976, meaning the nation has some experience, but the current situation unfolds in what the United Nations describes as "one of the most volatile" regions.

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From what we see circulating on phones, we notice the symptoms. People say the disease is transmitted through contact. For example, if I am infected, through sweat my child could also become infected. This is what worries us the most, how we can protect our children.

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is deploying resources, including treatment centers capable of isolating and treating patients. Healthcare workers undergo regular training and don full protective gear. Dr. Saschveen Singh, an MSF doctor with experience in previous outbreaks, emphasizes the critical need to maintain "routine" healthcare services. "We have to ensure pregnant women can access important antenatal support, and that they can deliver safely," she stated, adding that treatment for malaria, tuberculosis, and HIV must continue to prevent the collapse of the entire health system.

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We have to ensure … pregnant women can access important antenatal support, and that they can deliver safely. There's still people with tuberculosis, with HIV, with diabetes, they need to be able to access their ongoing drugs. We don't want the whole system collapsing because all the effort is on a particular infectious disease response.