A shortage of medicines is hindering efforts to control the Ebola outbreak in Congo.

Shortages of medicines, protective equipment, and transportation are significantly undermining the capacity to respond to the Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo, as the disease continues to spread and put immense pressure on the local health system.

In Ituri province – the epicenter of the current outbreak – healthcare workers report facing severe shortages of painkillers, masks, and other basic supplies needed for treatment and infection control.

Eastern Congo has long been criticized for its underinvestment in public health infrastructure and heavy reliance on international aid. In recent years, many humanitarian and health assistance programs have been scaled back, further complicating the region's capacity to respond to outbreaks.

Medical supplies are being transported to Bunia National Airport in Ituri Province, Congo. Photo: Reuters

According to Heather Reoch Kerr, Director of the International Relief Committee in Congo, cuts to aid funding have left many health facilities with severe shortages of basic protective equipment.

In an effort to prevent the spread of the disease, international aid organizations are urgently transporting supplies to Ituri, especially as the rare Bundibugyo variant is believed to have been silently circulating for weeks before being officially detected.

The U.S. State Department announced it will fund 50 mobile clinics to support the fight against Ebola in affected areas of Congo and neighboring Uganda.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed it has shipped 12 tons of medical supplies to the affected area and expects to provide an additional 6 tons in the near future.

"Aid needs to arrive as soon as possible," emphasized Mamadou Kaba Barry, head of the ALIMA NGO delegation in Congo.

According to Barry, ALIMA has now had to use its emergency reserves of field tents, protective equipment, medicines, and laboratory supplies to maintain its disease response operations in Ituri.

The WHO has declared the Ebola outbreak in Congo a global public health emergency. As of May 20th, the Central African nation had recorded approximately 600 suspected cases and 139 deaths suspected to be related to Ebola.

Currently, there is no approved specific treatment for the Bundibugyo strain. Treatment mainly focuses on symptom relief and isolation to limit the spread of the disease.

Experts warn that if aid and medical supplies are not increased in a timely manner, efforts to control Ebola in Congo could continue to face many obstacles in the coming period.

(According to Reuters)

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/thieu-thuoc-men-can-tro-no-luc-khong-che-dich-ebola-tai-congo-758079.html