Slachtofferaantal of ebola in the Congo is approaching the thousand

The ebola epidemic in the east of the Congo hits, but not under control. The Congolese ministry of Health says in his latest update that the epidemic is already 994 deaths, among them are 928 people for whom ebola is already officially confirmed. “Any progress will be undone by setbacks such as attacks on treatment centres”, said Michael Ryan, director of the emergency by the world health organization (WHO), today in Geneva.

“The (lack of) safety is a large obstacle”, says Ryan. “Politicians and armed militias are spreading lies about the commitment of the workers, to the ebolacrisis for their own purposes.” The WHO calls on the government and the opposition together to sit to the fight against ebola to depolitiseren. “This disaster should not be used to avoid conflicts do flare up.” The WHO notes that over the past week with no “significant violence” was on the professionals.

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According to Ryan, there are enough vaccines, but vaccination campaigns in the villages to fail sometimes by the insecurity in the region. Through the efforts of social workers and the vaccination campaigns are already 421 people cured of ebola. The costs for the assistance are pending, according to Ryan, meanwhile, out of the hand. There is certainly 88 million dollars needed to be the greatest needs to meet, but that amount is still only 34 million dollars promised by the international community.

Together with the epidemic flares the violence against the population by armed groups. A group of 18 ngos points out there today that tens of thousands of people, therefore, forced to their villages to flee. “The severity of the violence makes it particularly difficult for humanitarian assistance to the Congolese to get,” said the ngos. That indicate, furthermore, that in the whole of the Congo 13 million people in need of humanitarian assistance.