Ebola has now reached an 8th province of the Democratic Republic of Congo, North Ubangi, which borders the Central African Republic. Eight cases have now been confirmed in Kenya as well. Tearfund’s Country Director, Poppy Anguandia, said:
‘In the DRC, we are approaching more grim milestones with a likely total of 10,000 Ebola virus disease confirmed cases and 5,000 deaths on the horizon in the coming weeks. We’re doing everything we can to slow rates of infection and help to contain the spread of disease.’
Tearfund’s activities include: training community healthcare workers and faith leaders in Infection Prevention and Control; distributing hygiene kits to survivors; producing radio broadcasts to educate the community; and door to door awareness-raising.
‘There’s a lot of work to be done to deconstruct some of the rumours and misinformation that have been circulating and build up trust. Faith leaders are setting up handwashing stations and modelling good hygiene practices at church and in the community. They are also sensitively coming alongside affected families to promote safe and dignified burial practices. Those saying goodbye to loved ones who have died of this disease need a lot of support, care and understanding as they play a crucial role in preventing further infections,’ says Anguandia.
Humanitarian and healthcare teams are working amidst armed conflict and water shortages to curb the spread of the virus, but one of the biggest challenges of all is having the resources and equipment to care for patients safely.
Kapara Acikani Leontine is the nurse in charge of Ndrelé Health Area. She explains:
[Filmed interview with transcript available for broadcast]
‘The greatest difficulty during this Ebola virus disease outbreak is the lack of equipment.
‘We need to have complete protective equipment when we go into the community. Ebola is contagious, and if we are not properly protected, we can become infected. That is our fear.
‘We have received support. The local authorities and the health zone began by briefing people when the outbreak was declared. One of the major priorities is handwashing. People need to wash their hands regularly. NGOs such as Tearfund provided handwashing facilities throughout the health area, particularly in public places and at the health centre.
‘Our motivation comes from the fact that we are healthcare workers. We have to prevent disease, care for our patients and support the community. We took an oath, so despite the fear, we have a duty to help the community.’
For more information about the work of Tearfund or to donate, please visit www.tearfund.org.
ENDS
For further information or interview requests call Esther Trewinnard on 07783 409045, or for out of hours media enquiries please call 07929 339813.
Notes to editors
As of October, transmission rates of the 17th Ebola virus disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo are averaging 71 new cases daily.
Poppy Anguandia, Tearfund’s Country Director in the Democratic Republic of Congo, is available for radio and broadcast interviews between 21st October and 29th October.
For broadcasters or multi-media journalists, Tearfund can also provide raw files for the filmed interview with Kapara Acikani Leontine and can provide contextual b-roll on request.
Tearfund is a Christian charity that partners with churches in more than 50 of the world’s poorest countries. We tackle poverty through sustainable development, responding to disasters and challenging injustice. We believe an end to extreme poverty is possible. Tearfund is also a member of the Disasters Emergency Committee. For more information about the work of Tearfund, please visit www.tearfund.org.
