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- Two relatives have died of Ebola in Mbandaka in the Équateur province in the DRC.
- Officials are following up on 144 of their contacts, 86 who have been traced.
- The government has no funding for the fight against Ebola.
Two people have died within a week in Mbandaka in the Équateur province in the latest outbreak of the Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
The first victim was a 31-year-old man, who was buried on Monday. A day later, his 25-year-old sister-in-law became the second casualty.
News24 spoke to Dr Gervais Folefack Tengomo, the World Health Organisation's (WHO) team leader for its Emergencies Programme, about the situation.
What is the situation on the ground?
Dr Gervais Folefack Tengomo: A total of 144 contacts are being followed up, 86 (59.7%) of whom have been seen.
What are the causes of Ebola's re-emergence just four months after the last outbreak?
The risk associated with Ebola in the DRC is high due to the presence of animal reservoirs or intermediate hosts implicated in previous spill-over events, environmental and anthropogenic factors, and the presence of several Ebola survivors in the community.
The... three previous Ebola epidemics in the DRC were due to resurgences, probably from survivors.
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And the stigma attached to Ebola?
We must indeed avoid stigmatising the survivors, but rather follow them correctly to prevent transmission of the disease.
Is there a link between hunger and Ebola?
There is no direct link between Ebola and hunger. However, it should be noted that Ebola is most often transmitted by people who manipulate wild animals, perhaps because they go into the forest to look for food?
Are funds available for the current fight against Ebola?
There are no funds available in the DRC to respond to the Ebola epidemic. It is since the declaration of the epidemic by the Ministry of Health that we are mobilising resources to support the government in this response.
Which aid agencies are on the ground to help contain the situation?
Many partners are in the field to support the government in the response to this epidemic: WHO, United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (Unicef), International Organisation for Migration (IOM), Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders), Red Cross, and some partners are still in the process of mobilising resources from donors before going into the field.
What should the world know about Ebola?
The Ebola outbreak represents a serious public health threat because of the potential for human-to-human transmission of the virus within the community and in healthcare settings, resulting in severe disease with a high case fatality rate of around 50%.
The risk associated with Ebola in the DRC is high due to the presence of animal reservoirs or intermediate hosts implicated in previous spill-over events, and environmental and anthropogenic factors.
Fortunately, capacities are available in Équateur province and the country.
There are trained staff with extensive experience in Ebola response; a functional laboratory in Mbandaka with reagents available (GeneXpert cartridges); licensed vaccine [stock] available in the country for rapid start of vaccination; the Ebola treatment centre is functional.
We just ask the populations to be involved in the response activities.
The News24 Africa Desk is supported by the Hanns Seidel Foundation. The stories produced through the Africa Desk and the opinions and statements that may be contained herein do not reflect those of the Hanns Seidel Foundation.
