Fear, suspicion hampering DRC’s fight against Ebola, reports say

The fight against the dreaded Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is being hampered by fear and suspicion of medical authorities, reports say.

Health officials say they face a huge significant mistrust especially as many place more faith in clerics in white collars rather than doctors in white coats.

According to reports, a doctor and a nursing sister were threatened by locals after they were accused of bringing the disease to their communities, while people in one town prevented medics from testing the body of someone suspected to have died from Ebola.

Read Also: Denuclearise now or end up like Ghadafi, Trump warns Kim Jong-Un

“The information campaign is being put in place but is still insufficient,” Medecins Sans Frontieres’ (MSF) emergency medical coordinator Jean-Clement Cabrol told reporters in Geneva on Thursday.

“Religious and traditional leaders in communities are not being used enough,” he said.

About three days ago, two dying Ebola patients were spirited out of a hospital by their relatives on motor-bikes, then taken to a church for prayers.

According to Dr. Jean-Clement Cabrol, emergency medical coordinator for Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders), both patients who were vomiting died hours after the prayer session with 50 other people, potentially exposing them all to the deadly virus.

Since the first outbreak was recorded early this month, there have been growing fears with more than twice as many Ebola outbreaks in the DRC as any other country since the virus was discovered in 1976.

 

RipplesNigeria… without borders, without fears

Click here to join the Ripples Nigeria WhatsApp group for latest updates.

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now