IRC responds to Ebola epidemic in Congo

Date: 16 Jan 2009




Kasai Occidental, Democratic Republic of Congo 16 Jan 2009 - The International Rescue Committee is contributing essential drugs to emergency interventions in the Kasai Occidental province of the Democratic Republic of Congo in response to an epidemic of Ebola hemorrhagic fever.
The Congolese minister of public health declared an epidemic in the Mweka health zone on Sept. 10, 2008. Since that date, Ebola has been the cause of 13 deaths; there are currently 42 suspected cases, according to the World Health Organization.
"One confirmed case of Ebola is considered an epidemic because of the extremely contagious nature of the virus and the lack of any vaccine or treatment to cure the disease," says Dr. Pascal Ngoy, the IRC's senior health coordinator.
Curbing the spread of the virus is critical. To this end, the IRC is expanding its relief efforts beyond the 13 clinics in the affected area. To minimize population movement, the IRC has distributed fever-reducing anti-pyretic, IV fluid, oral rehydration salts, antibiotics and anti-malarials to Demba, Lukongo and Mutoto health zones, all of which are in close proximity to the Mweka zone.
IRC staff members are also educating at-risk communities about Ebola in the affected health zones. We hope to provide 500,000 people with crucial information about Ebola—how to recognize signs and symptoms and how to prevent further spread of the disease.
"When we find a suspected case of Ebola, all of the patient's belongings are burned and they are isolated from others for 21 days," explains Dr. Ngoy. Because of the severe poverty in Congo, families resist destroying items like mattresses and blankets. Community information sessions help family members of Ebola patients understand the necessary steps to contain the disease.
Response to outbreaks like this one is complicated by poor roads connecting remote areas in Congo. IRC mortality surveys have demonstrated the link between lack of access to health care and high mortality from preventable diseases. The IRC, which supports 55 health clinics in three health zones, has been working in Kasai Occidental since 2002 with funding from the United Kingdom's Department for International Development. We responded with logistical support and medical supplies to a previous Ebola outbreak in Congo in 2007.