The Latest Ebola Outbreak in the DRC is Over
upstart writes in with an IRC submission for Runaway1956:
The latest Ebola outbreak in the DRC is over:
Today we celebrate the end of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where responders have spent months working tirelessly with their communities to halt the spread of a virus that has now killed more than 2,200.
They did this facing not one but two deadly viruses, with COVID-19 cases first reported in the country in March.
The country came tantalisingly close to reaching zero Ebola cases back in June. But days before the northeastern provinces of North Kivu and Ituri were declared Ebola-free, a new flare-up broke out in the Equateur province - the country's eleventh outbreak since 1976.
More than five months later, the disease has finally been brought to a halt. But while we celebrate this important milestone, we cannot afford to be complacent - especially in the shadow of COVID-19 and other threatening diseases such as Cholera.
[...] The DRC is at a critical juncture. While the terrible streak of three Ebola outbreaks in as many years may be over, the health risks - including COVID-19 - are ever-present. The DRC has more outbreaks of epidemics than any other country in the world, with millions of people also at risk of measles, cholera, and the plague among others. In the context of fragile health systems, conflict, and dwindling livelihoods, now is not the time to turn our backs.
For our part, The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) will continue to support the DRC Red Cross with Ebola surveillance, prevention and preparedness while helping them apply the skills and lessons we have learned to new and compounding challenges. Because if we do not stop outbreaks everywhere, we will not stop them anywhere.
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera's editorial stance
DRC = Democratic Republic of the Congo
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