Ebola is not the only emergency
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is facing a severe public health crisis as an Ebola outbreak in Ituri Province compounds existing issues like malaria, measles, and lack of healthcare access. Ongoing regional conflict and violence against medical facilities are further hindering humanitarian efforts and routine immunizations.
Why it matters
The intersection of epidemic disease and active armed conflict creates a humanitarian emergency that threatens regional stability and long-term public health outcomes.
Measles outbreaks, epidemic levels of malaria, lack of access to healthcare for pregnant women – the medical needs in the eastern Congolese province of Ituri, and in the entire Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), are enormous, says Maria Mashako, a medical coordinator for Doctors Without Borders. “These are urgent medical needs that existed even before the arrival of Ebola.”
“And all of this has been put more or less on hold. Even routine immunisations for children are not running. This is a ticking time bomb that will expose us to even more public health challenges in the future,” Mashako continues.
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