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Curse flames, UN senior Ebola Congo’s emergency response official, Julien Harneis, also noted that the Kigonze camp where the facility was opened is now abandoned.
“It took a huge struggle to create an Ebola transit hub [and] Ebola treatment center; it costs money, bringing in staff and this is a struggle throughout the east,” said Mr. Harneis UN News. “So, when we lose a health center, it means we lose capacity, we lose investment and we have to start again. And most importantly, it means people don’t get access to the health services they really need.”
A quiet sanctuary
The camp has provided refuge for around 19,000 people fleeing violence in the country’s resource-rich eastern region, near the border with Rwanda.
In recent days, thousands of people have left Kigonze following reports that soldiers entered the site to search for weapons and people suspected of being members of non-State armed groups. Gunshots were also reportedly heard.
Describing the transit center fire on Tuesday night as “very disappointing,” Harneis explained that staff there had provided “essential and excellent” services to those who needed them. He added that the UN was working with authorities to ensure that health facilities were protected.
In a related development, more than 3,000 people left the Rhoe refugee camp in the Djugu region (also in Ituri province) following escalating clashes on 27 September. According to the UN aid coordination office, Ochaat least four people were reported dead and seven others injured, while several houses caught fire in Blukwa.
Women and children make up the majority of refugees, according to humanitarian sources.
Fighting also severely hampered the response to Ebola and limited humanitarian access to several health zones, including Fataki, Drodro, and Lita in Ituri province.
Ongoing insecurity has also delayed the transport of laboratory samples from Fataki to Bunia and disrupted the transfer of confirmed Ebola patients for treatment. Some aid organizations have suspended activities in affected areas.
North Kivu responder killed
Meanwhile, in the neighboring province of North Kivu, two people involved in the Ebola response were reported killed in Lubero on September 27 and 28. Fighting in Masisi has displaced more than 24,000 people since mid-September.
OCHA and humanitarian partners are monitoring the situation and call on all parties to protect civilians, safeguard refugee camps and ensure humanitarian access.
Violence was also reported in the DRC’s South Kivu and Tanganyika provinces, forcing thousands of people to flee their homes and increasing humanitarian needs, the aid office said in an update earlier this week.
Widespread outbreak
Ebola has spread to seven provinces since a public health emergency was declared in mid-May. This is the 17th countryth epidemic. The affected provinces are Bas-Uele, Haut-Uele, Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, South Ubangi and Tshopo.
More than 8,000 cases of infection have been confirmed including 4,000 deaths. Ituri remains the current epicenter of the emergency, with most cases occurring in and around the towns of Bunia and Mongbwalu.
In its update, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) stress a double challenge for Ebola responders – including safe burial teams – who urgently need more help: “When transmission remains high, we need to increase capacity to stop the rate of infection. And in emerging hotspots, we need to intervene quickly to stop the spread of the virus,” the agency said.
How the UN helps
WHO is a key supporter of local health authorities, providing assistance in case management, surveillance, safe and dignified burials, and community engagement.
This happened in the Mongala health region in Ituri, where there have now been 346 confirmed Ebola cases, with 149 deaths, since the first infection was detected on May 18.
Located 45 kilometers from the provincial capital, Bunia, access is still difficult and takes almost two hours by car. As Mongala does not have a treatment centre, patients will be referred to Nizi – 27 kilometers away – or Bunia, depending on bed availability and patient preference.
In a renewWHO noted that the number of safe and dignified burial teams has increased from 53 teams of 12 members to 114 teams deployed across Ituri province. In areas with high transmission rates, 57 community teams trained in safe and dignified burials were deployed in 11 health areas in Mongala and Fataki.
The number of patient beds has also increased, with the aim of providing more than 1,800 beds in 54 health facilities in 34 health zones. “However, more than 1,400 additional health professionals are needed to support this expansion,” the agency stressed.
“Increased capacity allows us to admit more patients in better condition and reduce delays. Rapid isolation and treatment of cases is essential,” said Dr Stéphane Mutombo, anesthesiologist and resuscitator, head of the clinical component in the holistic care pillar, for the Congolese Ministry of Health.
The Ebola outbreak was caused by the Bundibugyo virus. This outbreak is the largest and deadliest Ebola outbreak in Congo, surpassing the state of emergency in 2018-2020.
This epidemic is the second after the 2014-2016 Ebola epidemic in West Africa, which infected more than 28,600 people and killed more than 11,000 in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
