04 Mar 2019 | 07:58 AM UTC
DRC: Health workers reopen Ebola treatment center in Butembo March 3 /update 3
Health officials reopen Ebola treatment center in Butembo (North Kivu) on March 3; outbreak continues to spread in North Kivu and Ituri provinces with 894 cases and 561 deaths
Event
Health officials reopened an Ebola treatment center in Butembo (North Kivu province) on Sunday, March 3, following an assault by unknown gunmen on Wednesday, February 27. The facility, previously run by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders, is now being operated by the Congolese health ministry, the World Health Organization (WHO), and UNICEF. A second MSF treatment center in Katwa that was attacked in a similar incident has not reopened.
The Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak continues to spread in North Kivu and Ituri provinces as of Sunday. Congolese authorities reported 894 suspected or confirmed cases resulting in 561 deaths. Further spread of the disease is likely in the coming days and weeks.
Context
The facility was closed immediately after the incident on Wednesday, February 27, in which attackers set fire to the facility and engaged in a gunfight with responding security forces. The government's limited presence in the DRC's eastern provinces, including North Kivu, as well as the presence of numerous armed groups and local self-defense militias have led to continued insecurity in the area. Humanitarian organizations have stated that security conditions in the Kivu regions present a major obstacle to delivering humanitarian assistance to those in need, as kidnappings, including of Congolese and foreign aid workers, are frequent in the area.
EVD is extremely virulent. The disease is transmitted to humans via direct contact with the blood, secretions, organs, or other bodily fluids of infected animals. The disease can then be transmitted between humans and is highly contagious, particularly during the hemorrhagic phase. Ebola is characterized by the sudden onset of high fever, weakness, joint and muscle pain, and headache. A sore throat is also a common early symptom. These symptoms are followed by nausea/vomiting, diarrhea, rashes, kidney and liver failure, and, in some cases, internal and external bleeding.
Advice
Individuals in North Kivu and Ituri provinces are advised to monitor the situation, remain vigilant for militant behavior, and take measures to prevent contraction and spread of Ebola virus disease (EVD).
