In an effort to contain the most recent Ebola outbreak in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, UN agencies have moved quickly to provide emergency medical supplies, protective gear, and logistical support.
UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric gave the update on Thursday in New York while briefing journalists on the Ebola outbreak in the DRC and Uganda.
“Our humanitarian and peacekeeping colleagues are continuing to support the government’s efforts regarding the fast-spreading outbreak of Ebola and the deterioration of the humanitarian situation.
“The province of Ituri remains the epicenter of the outbreak, with the most affected areas in the towns of Rwampara, Mongbwalu, and Bunia.
“These towns may not be familiar to you, but it’s important to note that they are densely populated.
“The peacekeeping mission (MONUSCO) is providing critical logistical assistance to enable the rapid delivery of medical supplies and equipment to Bunia, where response efforts are being reinforced,’’ Dujarric said.
The spokesperson said the mission also made available four light passenger vehicles to support surge team operations in Ituri.
In addition, he said MONUSCO had positioned one helicopter to support flights to affected areas in Ituri as required.
Two ambulances and two armored vehicles are also en route from Goma to Bunia to support medical evacuation and outreach in areas with high security risks.
“This material will be made available to our World Health Organization (WHO) colleagues.
“There are increasing concerns also over the spread of Ebola to the province of North Kivu, where cases have now been confirmed in Goma, Butembo and Katwa.
“Our colleagues note that these are urban areas with a history of Ebola transmission,” he said.
“In North Kivu, partners are strengthening surveillance, introducing screening at points of entry and adapting operations, including remote coordination where it is needed.
“To strengthen the mobility of health teams engaged in contact tracing and rapid response, MONUSCO has also sent motorcycles from Goma and Beni, while additional ones are being serviced in Bunia for handover to WHO,’’ he added.
In addition to this, he told journalists that a new case was reportedly confirmed by local authorities in South Kivu, in the town of Bukavu.
The case reportedly concerns a person arriving from Tshopo, which borders Ituri province.
“As we have said before, but it’s worth repeating, this outbreak is unfolding in a context marked by displacement, marked by insecurity, marked by high population mobility and significant access constraints for humanitarians and peacekeepers.
“All our colleagues on the ground, whether they be United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Peacekeepers, WHO, World Food Programme (WFP) , UN child rights agency (UNICEF) and many others will continue to work and to do their best in support of the population,’’ he said.
Meanwhile, WFP is facilitating the transport of aid workers, medical supplies and essential cargo into hard-to-reach areas and stands ready to scale up efforts.
It is also providing critical logistics services on behalf of the wider humanitarian community, in addition to providing food and nutrition assistance to patients, survivors, contacts and affected households.
WFP currently needs over 214 million dollars to support operations in the DRC, and over 10 million dollars specifically for Ebola response.
