100 days of Ebola in the DR Congo

After 100 days, this Ebola outbreak has surpassed the number of confirmed cases during the 2018 outbreak over a period of two years. Tragically, the virus continues to race ahead: Cases are rising, and it is spreading across more areas. There is no approved vaccine for the current strain, and no proven treatment.  

The Ebola outbreak cannot be treated as a standalone medical emergency. It is spreading inside a protection crisis among millions of displaced people who are already trapped in active conflict zones and face horrific violence. People are terrified, facing a lethal disease while stripped of safety. 

There are nearly one million displaced people in Ituri alone. In displacement sites, families are crammed under plastic tarpaulins, without access to clean water and functioning latrines. Armed groups infiltrate these sites, subjecting women and girls to sexual violence and forcibly recruiting children.

In displacement camps, dozens of families often share a single toilet, and sometimes a single borehole is the only option for tens of thousands of people in search of clean water. Telling people to wash their hands when there is no water erodes trust. We need more international investment in restoring basic infrastructure in camps. 

In active conflict zones, traditional health measures simply fall apart. Displaced families cannot afford to isolate when daily work is a matter of survival. Cross-border restrictions that block access to markets and traders in Uganda ultimately push desperate people onto unsafe, unmonitored routes, hiding the virus from health workers. When roads are controlled by armed groups and transit is unaffordable, medical care is out of reach. We cannot separate public health from civilian protection.