Health workers struggle to contain Ebola outbreak

Geoff Bennett:

Today, the World Health Organization said the fight against Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is -- quote -- "catching up with the spread of the virus."

But health officials warn the crisis is far from over. More than 340 cases have been confirmed and the outbreak has crossed into neighboring Uganda, worsening the challenge of containing the deadly disease in a region already riddled with conflict, displacement and strained health care systems.

To get a view from the ground, we turn to special correspondent Chris Ocamringa in the DRC's capital, Kinshasa.

And to give you a sense of the scale of the challenges moving about the DRC, Kinshasa is about 950 miles from the epicenter of the outbreak in the country's northeast. That's roughly the same distance between Jackson, Mississippi, and Washington, D.C.

Chris, thank you for being with us.

Bring us up to speed. What do we know about the scope of this outbreak right now and how concerned health officials are about it?

Chris Ocamringa:

Well, health officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo are struggling to contain this outbreak that has spread rapidly since it was declared on May 15.

Back then, health officials told us that there were only three areas that registered cases, Rwampara, Mongbwalu, and Bunia, the capital of North Ituri province in the northeast of the country. But now there are more than 20 health zones that have recorded cases.

We have been told that there are 60 people who have died and 344 others who are infected with this very contagious disease. Last week, many health facilities there were overwhelmed by the number of people who were brought in with suspected cases. They had to turn away some people because they didn't have enough beds.

So there was an appeal that was made, and the international community really came to the rescue of authorities in the DRC. Millions of dollars have been raised. We have seen medical supplies being airlifted to Ituri province, the epicenter of this outbreak.

People now have set up new treatment centers, and they're now trying to scale up the response to this outbreak before it claims more lives -- Geoff.

Geoff Bennett:

Setting up these new treatment centers, containing Ebola is in many ways a race against time. What are the biggest obstacles health workers face in identifying cases and tracing contacts and stopping transmission?

Chris Ocamringa:

Well, one of the major challenges that they're facing is that this outbreak has occurred in active conflict zones.

There are lots of rebel groups in that area Ituri. They are CODECO. There's Allied Democratic Forces, Zaire, and a number of other militia groups that have been attacking civilians, forcing them to flee to displaced camps. And these are crowded camps where people are crammed together.

They cannot keep a social distance. And that's a fertile area for the spread of infectious diseases. So health workers are very concerned about the continuous violence in the east and northeast of the DRC, where there are a number of rebel groups.

This outbreak has also been recorded in another part of the DRC, in the eastern part, where there are rebels known as M23 who are controlling large swathes of that area. So it's very difficult for health workers to carry out content tracing, which is a very important element about containing this Ebola outbreak.

It's about tracking people who got -- came into contact with those who have been confirmed to have Ebola. And it means moving from one place to another. That can only be done when there's peace in that area.

So the DRC government and international partners have been appealing to all the warring parties, the militia groups in that area, to cease fire, so that health workers can be able to reach out to these patients and provide treatment so that this disease does not spread further -- Geoff.

Geoff Bennett:

We have the benefit of having you on the ground in Kinshasa tonight doing this reporting.

Beyond the medical toll, how is this outbreak affecting daily life in the communities at the center of it?

Chris Ocamringa:

Well, it has really disrupted the daily lives of the people. This area, Ituri province, is a region that borders two countries, South Sudan and Uganda.

And those people in that area don't have very many formal jobs. So they engage in petty trade. So there's a lot of cross-border trade between the people of these three countries, the Democratic Republic of Congo. People keep traveling to Uganda and South Sudan. And now that this outbreak has really spread, Uganda has shut its border with the DRC.

And they have also -- South Sudan is also closely monitoring the developments here. So many people have really been hit hard by this development. They cannot make any money.

And the World Health Organization has always been appealing to countries not to close their borders. They're saying that's an issue that will really disrupt the livelihoods of very many people; what they should do is step up screening at the border crossings and also surveillance so that they can treat these suspected cases.

But every country has its own decision. It's a sovereign decision about how they want to deal with this outbreak. And, so, many people in the DRC have really been affected by this Ebola outbreak.

Geoff Bennett:

Special correspondent Chris Ocamringa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo reporting from Kinshasa tonight, thank you.