DRC Ebola Update from Bishop William

In Congo's seventeenth outbreak, lasting progress depends on trust and cooperation between community leaders, health workers and faith leaders. As Bishop William reports from Boga, this united approach has helped prevent new cases for 25 days. 

When the outbreak of Ebola was announced, the whole world was shaken, the internation media had Congo on the headline. Many countries in the region and abroad were concerned, neighboring Uganda was affected. Borders and travel restrictions were put into place. Call for funding was raised by the World Health Organization, International Humanitarian Organizations and Governments to stop the disease, secure a treatment policy and vaccine.

For the Democratic Republic of Congo, this outbreak is the seventeenth, and one may wonder why is this happening. Multiple explanations have been given: poor health structures, persistent insecurity, cultural practices and religious beliefs favoring the rapid spread of the disease. After sometime of serious concern, the world went into silence about Ebola in Congo, it is no longer on the headline of regional and international media. Is it because the disease is being controlled and about to be eradicated? The answer to my understanding is ebola fatigue!  There is one troubling community behavior, violence against health workers. I may compare that to a community with severe famine attacking the personnel supplying food relief, saying they don’t need food and would prefer to die. For the disease to occur 17 times in a country, we should think twice and deep.

There are three stakeholders in the fight against Ebola that need to converge and harmonize their efforts, trust each other. It is possible, though it will take some time. These are the community leaders, the health workers and religious leaders. This is our experience in the fight against Ebola in Boga area where I am now. We started that campaign as soon as Ebola outbreak was declared. We went on when one case was reported in the region.

For the last twenty-five days, no other case is reported yet. That is possible because of the commitment of the local community chief, the hospital staff and the religious leaders. The very respected local chief issued orders for safe burials, the hospital staff followed the contacts and suspected cases, the church multiplied messages of safety practices and mindset change.

+William, Diocese of Boga