Responding to the Ebola Outbreak in North Kivu Province,
Democratic Republic of Congo
Churches in the Democratic Republic of Congo are asking for prayer and support as they urgently fight the spread of the deadly Ebola virus in their communities.
On July 28th, hospitals in North Kivu Province reported suspected cases of acute haemorrhagic fever. This province is the area where most of Canadian Baptist Ministries’ partner churches are ministering and engaged in community outreach projects in the DRC. In the days that followed a rapid investigation by the World Health Organization (WHO) was set in motion.
On August 1, the first 4 cases were confirmed and an outbreak was declared in the provinces of North Kivu and Ituri. By August 3, the WHO reported 43 Ebola cases (30 probable and 13 confirmed) including 33 deaths in Eastern DRC. The majority of the cases are in and around the populated cities of Beni and Butembo, North Kivu. The province is home to approximately 5 million people.
Our church partner, Communauté des Eglises Baptstes au Centre de l’Afrique (CBCA), is actively working to prevent any further spread of the Ebola virus. The CBCA is distributing vital information throughout their communities warning people to wash their hands with soap and water, and to avoid infected people, their body fluids, and objects that contain these fluids (such as clothes, bedding, needles, and medical equipment). CBCA is helping people understand how the virus is being spread through communities through human contact and through the handling and consumption of bush meat.
People are also being educated on the symptoms and the importance of receiving testing and submitting to medical treatment. Having learned from the critical mistakes of past outbreaks, the church is warning people to avoid the bodies of those who have died from the disease. It is a very sensitive but critical subject to help families and congregations avoid further infection after they have lost a loved one.
Along with education, the CBCA is mobilizing hygiene supplies and medical resources to be used in their 17 medical centres and hospitals in this region. The medical community is very aware that with an incubation period of 2 to 21 days, there may very well be a sudden wave of new cases that emerge in the coming weeks. Ebola has an extremely high fatality rate for the infected, and so the biggest need right now is prevention.
Unlike the most recent outbreak in Northwestern DRC, these new cases have arisen in an extremely volatile area where insecurity and conflict are a major concern.
“This new cluster is occurring in an environment which is very different from where we were operating in the northwest,” said Dr. Peter Salama, WHO Deputy Director-General, Emergency Preparedness and Response. “This is an active conflict zone. The major barrier will be safely accessing the affected population.”
In addition to the local population, the affected areas host over one million displaced people and share borders with Rwanda and Uganda. Frequent cross-border movement and trade activities increase the urgency to contain this outbreak.
In Prayer
We pray for the front line health care teams that are on the ground and serving the people of Eastern DRC. We know that they are risking their lives for their neighbours. Already three healthcare workers have been affected, two of which have died.
We pray for Rev. Dr. Samuel Ngayihembako and the leaders of the CBCA churches who are calling their congregations to bear witness to the light of Christ in the darkness and fear of conflict and disease.
We pray for resources to help the CBCA in its mission to protect its communities through education, medical services, and pastoral care throughout this crisis.
You can support CBM's response by visiting
our website at www.cbmin.org
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