WHO calls for improved security to support Ebola response in eastern DR Congo
Kigali, Rwanda (PANA) - UN World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Sunday visited health workers affected by recent armed attacks on Ebola response staff in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and called for improved security in the region to protect health workers trying to contain Ebola.
The attack killed four outbreak responders and injured seven others in the eastern DRC.
During a visit to Goma, the capital of North Kivu province., Dr Tedros told responders that “ending the outbreak cannot be done without a much stronger effort to improve your security. We call on those responsible for security to recognise your extraordinary efforts by making a greater commitment to your security".
The visit follows the attack on the night of 27 November by unidentified armed group, which launched two separate attacks on a camp housing Ebola outbreak response staff in Biakato Mines and the Ebola coordination office in Mangina.
These were the latest in a series of similar incidents this year, during which WHO has documented approximately 390 attacks on health facilities that have killed 11 and injured 83 health care workers and patients in DRC.
Reacting to these latest attacks, Dr Tedros said: “I came here today to stand side by side with you, my sisters and brothers, and commend you all for your compassion and bravery in this most trying of times."
"I have also come here to recommit my steadfast support, and that of the World Health Organization, to the affected communities of this region and to the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to bring the Ebola outbreak under control," he said.
Despite the disruptions, WHO and humanitarian partners in eastern DRC have committed to continue their Ebola response operations.
Since the start of the outbreak in August 2018, over 3,300 people have contracted Ebola, some 2,100 of whom have died. In recent weeks, there has been an encouraging decline in the number of people confirmed with the virus.
In Goma, Dr Tedros met and thanked Ebola responders who are in hospital recovering from injuries suffered in the 27 November attacks. "You are working to save lives and you get attacked -- this is wrong," he said.
Dr Tedros also met with National Ebola Coordinator Steve Ahuka and expressed solidarity with and support for the Government and people of the DRC, noting, "We won't give up and we will finish the job."
Later, Dr Tedros and Professor Ahuka met with officials of DRC Ministry of Health, WHO and other responders, including those evacuated following the violence, paying tribute to their selflessness and persistence. Several responders recounted their experiences of being confronted by the attackers and stressed their commitment to working to end the Ebola outbreak in memory of their fallen colleagues.
"You cannot face Ebola and bullets without commitment, and that's why I am so proud of you," Dr Tedros said. “Even though we shouldn't give up, your security must be ensured."
Across the eastern DRC outbreak zone, WHO continues to support activities throughout the affected areas.
"There can be no more callous act than to target health professionals working to heal the sick and care for those in need," he added. "Every time an attack like this happens, it disrupts efforts to contain the Ebola outbreak and puts the health and wellbeing of local men, women and children at greater risk."
"Such senseless violence must stop."
-0- PANA TWA/MA 2Dec2019
