Pia Bozyel – TURKISH JOURNAL – The United Nations (UN) reported that efforts to combat the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have been disrupted by security concerns, while the number of people who have died from the outbreak has surpassed 2,000.
The UN said ongoing clashes in eastern DRC are making the Ebola response more difficult and called for safe and sustained humanitarian access to communities affected by the outbreak.
UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq said humanitarian relief efforts were being obstructed by security concerns and called on all parties to the conflict to protect civilians.
Julian Harneis, the UN’s senior Ebola coordinator in the DRC, also said aid workers, governments, donors and local communities need to step up efforts to bring the outbreak to an end.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that at least 13 civilians were killed and more than 28,000 people were displaced in an attack on the village of Banana École in Ituri Province.
At least 12 health facilities providing Ebola treatment have reportedly been attacked.
Ebola Death Toll Surpasses 2,000
According to health authorities in the DRC, the country has recorded 4,381 confirmed Ebola cases and 2,011 deaths. It was reported that approximately half of the deaths occurred in the past 20 days.
Health officials are also investigating the possibility that the virus may have mutated due to its rapid spread.
There is currently no approved vaccine or treatment for the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, which is responsible for the outbreak. Vaccine trials have been authorized in Canada and the United Kingdom, while treatment studies are being conducted in Ituri Province, DRC.
The UN is also continuing preparations for the possibility of Ebola spreading to neighboring Rwanda. No cases of the Bundibugyo strain have been detected in Rwanda so far.
The current Ebola outbreak in the DRC was declared on May 15, and two days later, the World Health Organization (WHO) classified the outbreak as a “public health emergency of international concern”.
