Goma (DR Congo) (AFP)
Time is up for the status quo on the Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo following the World Health Organization's (WHO) decision to make it a "public health emergency of international concern" .
The WHO decision has no impact in Goma (east) where the two border posts with Rwanda are open Thursday morning and as busy as usual, said an AFP correspondent.
Hand washing with chlorinated water and temperature measurement: the prevention measures are the same as since the beginning of the epidemic on August 1st.
In Butembo, epicenter of the outbreak located 250 km north of Goma, the authorities are especially concerned to find the "contacts" of the patients to vaccinate them and prevent the spread of the virus, noted another correspondent of AFP .
In recent days, the virus has killed another ten people in North Kivu province, bringing the total death toll to 1,698 deaths since the declaration of the epidemic on August 1, 2018, according to the latest report from the Ministry of Health. Among them, 41 health workers.
Eight of the last ten deaths were recorded in Beni, the main focus of the outbreak with Butembo-Katwa, 50 km further south.
In this populated region where people move a lot, Beni had however experienced a lull a few months ago.
There are also "374 suspected cases under investigation" and "10 new confirmed cases", details the ministry in its update on the situation on July 16th, released two days later.
There were 717 people cured and the vaccination of 164,757 inhabitants prevented thousands of deaths, according to the Minister of Health, himself a doctor, Oly Ilunga.
Ilunga is expected Thursday in Goma, where the discovery of a first case Sunday led the WHO three days later to activate its global health emergency procedure for the fifth time only since 2009.
Goma is much better known than Beni and Butembo on the map of humanitarian and UN interventions since the cholera epidemic that decimated Rwandan Hutu refugees fleeing retaliation for the 1994 Tutsi genocide.
Goma is a crossroads on the border of Rwanda. It is the largest city affected so far with its one to two million inhabitants, its border with Rwanda and its port from which boats leave for South Kivu.
The Goma patient, who died on Monday, reactivated the fear of spreading the virus far beyond Beni-Butembo-Katwa.
"Redouble efforts"
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called on the international community to "redouble efforts": "We need to work together with the DRC to end this epidemic and build a better health system" .
The United States presents itself as the first contributor via USAID with 98 million dollars, indicates their embassy in Kinshasa. USAID administrator Mark Green promises to "tailor" their response but points out that "other donors need to do it".
France has been blamed for its lack of financial commitment against Ebola in the DRC, theoretically the largest francophone country in the world with its 80 million inhabitants. Paris reacted by naming a "special envoy".
Ilunga said he "accepts" the decision of WHO experts, with a warning to NGOs that "international health emergency" means new subsidies.
"We hope that there will be greater transparency of the humanitarian actors in their use of funds to respond to this epidemic of Ebola," he wrote in a statement.
Health teams continue to search and vaccinate those who have been in contact with the deceased Goma patient during his transfer to Butembo, he says. "All his contacts in the city were found in less than 72 hours, including the motorcycle taxi driver the pastor had used to get to the health center."
In addition, the teams of Beni and Butembo "continue the investigations to trace the course of the pastor and identify his contacts in these two cities".
Angry at the patient from Goma who traveled while he was showing symptoms of the disease, the minister warned, "The government will consider what steps need to be taken to prevent these high-risk groups from continuing to spread the disease? epidemic in the region ".
© 2019 AFP