New measures launched to strengthen Ebola response outbreak

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The newly appointed UN Ebola Response Emergency Coordinator David Gressly has declared that there is ‘no time to waste’ as the worst ever Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo enters its tenth month.

The Declaration came with new measures to strengthen the response to the outbreak amidst a surge in new cases and a compounded fear that the disease is likely to spread to neighboring countries, among them, Uganda, where thousands of DRC nationals have sought refuge in recent weeks.

The plan involves strengthening operational support to negotiate better access to communities; increase support for humanitarian coordination; and bolster preparedness and readiness planning for the Goma region, and in countries that share borders with the Democratic Republic of Congo.

It also combines a strategy by the World Health Organisation to identify and treat people as quickly as possible; expand vaccination to encompass more people and redoubling efforts to stem health facility transmissions. Additionally, strengthened financial planning and reporting will be accelerated to ensure the sustainable and predictable funding required for a strategic Ebola response plan.

Up to the middle of this month, the number of deaths, according to UN figures, stood at 1,223 people. A third of those infected are children; a higher proportion than during previous outbreaks. But ongoing insecurity and community mistrust continue to hamper access to communities outside Ituri and North Kivu provinces, ultimately leading to more intense Ebola transmission.

“The Ebola response is working in an operating environment of unprecedented complexity for a public health emergency—insecurity and political protests have led to periodic disruptions in our efforts to fight the disease,” Gressly said.

Gressly underscored that senior leadership and operational decision making will also be moved to the epicenter of the epidemic in Butembo in order to guarantee an enhanced UN-wide response to overcome operating constraints. “This system-wide and international support is exactly what WHO has been calling for”, said Ibrahima Fall, the UN health agency’s Assistant Director-General of Emergency Response.

Dr Fall, who has been in Butembo since the end of March, acknowledged that the outbreak response must be owned by the local population and expressed gratitude that the new approach reflects what has been asked for; better security for patients and health workers, wider access to vaccination, and a more humane face to the response.

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