UNITED NATIONS, July 17 (Xinhua) -- UN humanitarians said Friday that they are scaling up efforts with partners to combat the Ebola outbreak in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), despite escalating violence and insecurity.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that partners, working with the DRC government, continue to increase surveillance, laboratory testing, treatment and community engagement efforts to contain the disease, which was declared on Thursday to be the third-largest Ebola outbreak on record. Priorities include speeding up case alerts, expanding isolation capacity, and ensuring safe and dignified burials.
OCHA said national authorities tallied 2,124 confirmed Ebola cases across the provinces of Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uele and Tshopo as of Wednesday. In Ituri, the areas of Bunia and Rwampara remain the epicenter of the outbreak, with transmission continuing at a very high level and evidence that many cases are still going undetected in the community.
Ten ambulances provided by the DRC government arrived in Ituri on Thursday to strengthen response operations, including patient transport and case management, the office said.
In the latest example of insecurity challenging the Ebola response, OCHA said local authorities in North Kivu reported that at least 10 people were killed, seven others injured during an attack in the Beni territory on Wednesday.
The attack followed a series of deadly incidents in the area that have reportedly claimed at least 22 lives since Sunday, OCHA said, noting that the "surge in violence has displaced civilians and further complicates humanitarian access in an area already grappling with the outbreak."
The office called on all parties to protect civilians, facilitate safe and sustained humanitarian access, and ensure the safety of health workers and response teams. "These conditions are essential for containing the outbreak and delivering life-saving assistance to those most in need," OCHA said. ■
