Ebola response in DR Congo needs 1,600 beds and 5,000 more health workers

The Ebola response in the Democratic Republic of Congo needs 1,600 hospital beds and 5,000 additional health workers, the World Health Organization said Tuesday. The outbreak is described as the second-worst in history since the disease was identified in 1976.

Since the outbreak was declared an international public health threat in May, about 1,400 beds have been made available across 59 specialised treatment centres. More than 900 of them were installed during the first two months, in what WHO expert Luca Fontana described as one of the fastest expansions of Ebola care capacity on record, including compared with the response to the West Africa outbreak that caused more than 11,000 deaths in 2015.

The response currently has 4,000 health workers but needs 9,000 in total. Ebola requires three health workers for each patient because of the disease’s contagiousness and the difficulty of treating it. Fontana said the staffing and infrastructure needs quickly increase the cost of containment, which includes water systems, solar panels and other basic services.

“

More than 900 beds were installed during the first two months, in one of the fastest expansions of care capacity against Ebola on record, even compared with the response to the West Africa outbreak

“Each time a health worker enters the patient area with all the personal protective equipment, the cost is approximately 25 dollars,” Fontana said. Hundreds of workers enter patient areas daily, and the equipment must be bought, transported by air, used once and safely disposed of on site.

Fontana said beds meant complete care spaces designed to provide safe, dignified and humane treatment, protect health workers and help families access care. He also called for a more decentralised plan after patients travelled to the Bunia treatment centre from villages far away, which he said showed the need to bring services closer to communities. WHO said new partners and international organisations were needed to keep facilities operating and care for patients.

“

Each time a health worker enters the patient area with all the personal protective equipment, the cost is approximately 25 dollars.