By Sabine CessouPosted on 25-11-2019Modified on 25-11-2019 at 20:13

The Ebola epidemic has left 2,200 people dead since August 2018 in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, in a region of 10 to 12 million people. Pockets of insecurity still prevent the total eradication of the virus.

" Death of men, houses and fields abandoned or burned, food insecurity, promiscuity, disruption of school rhythm, risk of spread of Ebola and other epidemics, increased precariousness ... " In an appeal published on November 25, the National Episcopal Conference of Congo ( Cenco ), overwhelmed by the long list of recurrent plagues that plague the region of Beni and Minembwe in North Kivu, calls for an emergency program.

The successive killings in the Beni region complicate the work of the United Nations against the Ebola virus, especially in Oicha, where the population is fleeing the massacres and blames the peacekeepers their "inaction". The offensive of the Congolese army against the rebel group Ugandan Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), pushed north, causes retaliation. ADF combatants spread terror among civilian populations.

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The latest Ebola outbreak has left 2,200 people dead since August 2018 in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Fourth of its kind since 2014, it was detected in July 2018, three months after its beginning. A total of 3,300 people were infected, and the death rate reached 67% between August 2018 and October 2019.

Since October, the epidemic has been confined to a limited area . It only concerns 28 new people over the last three weeks, according to a statement from the World Health Organization (WHO) published on November 22. The risk of contagion to other parts of the DRC and neighboring countries has been contained.

It could, however, restart, a new case was detected in Oicha, a town in North Kivu located 15 minutes drive from Beni. No deaths caused by Ebola had been reported in a month. A motorcycle taxi died 10 days ago after visiting three different health centers. His body was approached by a large number of people, 200 according to the WHO of which 62 people are considered high risk, of which only 19 could be contacted.

" Now, the concern is related to the insecurity between Beni and Oicha, says the American David Gressly, UN coordinator for emergency response to the Ebola outbreak, visiting Brussels. It is not the Congolese army's offensive against the ADF that poses a problem, but the ADF's response to attack the army and civilians. Dozens of people were killed in massacres, which provoked demonstrations in Beni, Butembo and elsewhere, which at least partially prevent the response . " Monusco is questioned in these demonstrations, but David Grissley insists that " thousands of Congolese soldiers are in the same area, in a Congolese offensive against the ADF ".

He believes that there is no " real " risk of a new home in Oicha as we have seen in the past in Butembo. " This is a somewhat hidden transmission chain that was discovered with the death of this person. We need to do new investigations to find where the contamination is coming from and determine the overall impact on the response. We are better positioned because there are a lot less cases in the area, we have staff on the ground and means with a focus on the areas affected by this case. The real question is how long will this violence last? If it does not last, we will be able to control the situation, which remains worrying for the moment .

A response to $ 1 billion

In total, the cost of the United Nations response will be $ 1 billion between August 2018 and the end of 2019, including all the support provided, such as that of Monusco. The response, which lacks experienced staff in insecure areas, is provided by 15,000 Congolese and a few hundred international staff.

It focused on the Beni-Butembo axis, where was the center of the epidemic, with ten hard-to-reach areas, " either because of insecurity or because of the reluctance of the population ", says David Gressly. Rumors have run high on a " false epidemic ", or even " conspiracy " at the end of 2018, when the epidemic justified the non-organization of the presidential election in Beni.

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" We fought the rumors and tried to do some time-consuming educational and explanatory work," continues David Gressly. The teams focused on gaining acceptance from the population, which resulted in a significant drop in two months in August and September. The center of the epidemic was between two large cities with a population that moves easily on two-wheeled vehicles to southern Sudan, Uganda, Goma and South Kivu. It was very important to clean up this area to prevent contagion elsewhere and to control the situation in the core of the program. We completed this task four or five weeks ago. We must eradicate the virus in the last remaining pockets. But insecurity may prolong our efforts on the ground. "

A disease that will become "classic"

The immunization policy for the Merck lab's Erverbo vaccine trial, which is currently being tested, has helped to slow down the spread of the disease, says the head of the UN response. All contacts of each infected patient, about sixty people per case, were vaccinated. " What does not solve everything ! The tracing of contacts of infected persons should be continued for follow-up, examined twice a day to monitor the appearance of symptoms, which can then be prevented . If we can isolate the infected people, it is possible to eradicate the virus. "

►Also read: One year of Ebola in the DRC, who believes in the controversy over the second vaccine?

Epidemics are becoming more frequent because of the growing size of populations close to forest areas, but also because of their greater mobility. " The introduction of vaccines and the available treatment, which overcomes the virus, help a lot. With new vaccines coming in, Ebola will become a more traditional disease, not this strange and scary thing that requires scaling up an urgent response. It will be possible to go to the hospital to be treated, not to die .

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