Parents and teachers at the epicentre of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s fast-moving Ebola outbreak are urging authorities to delay the reopening of schools as infections continue to outpace efforts to contain the disease.Ā
The Ebola outbreak, centred in the eastern Ituri province, is the fastest-growing in the disease’s history and remains out of control with 5,713 confirmed cases, including 2,744 deaths, according to Congolese health authorities.Ā Ā
On Thursday, officials with Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said weekly cases and deaths are still rising in Ituri and the neighbouring province of Nord Kivu ā€” and warned that the scale of the outbreak may be far larger than tallies have indicated.
Kyeng Mercy, a public health strategist and epidemiologist with Africa CDC, estimated that only 30 to 40 per cent of cases are being detected. Counts of cases coming from known contacts and other indicators suggested “underdetection” in communities, she added.
“So with all this, we’re seeing that this outbreak could be three times larger than the current actual size that is being recorded,” she said.
‘Not at the cost of our lives’
Children aged four and below have the highest case-fatality rate of any age group in the outbreak, at 60 per cent, according to the World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa.
Schools are set to reopen across Congo on Sept. 1, but some teachers and parents in Ituri are urging authorities to delay the return, saying the Ebola outbreak still poses too great a risk to children.Ā
“We want to resume classes, but not at the cost of our lives,” Fazila Rebecca, a teacher in Ituri’s capital of Bunia, told The Associated Press. “As long as the disease is circulating and protective measures remain inadequate, returning to the classroom means taking a risk we cannot ignore.”
There are 4,400 known cases of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Officials say there are far more cases that havenā€™t been recorded. While trials for a vaccine are underway, itā€™s not ready yet ā€” and as Congo is a central country in Africa, there are concerns the outbreak could spread beyond its borders.
The local Ituri teachers union met Tuesday in Bunia, urging authorities to assess the outbreak before deciding whether to reopen schools. Authorities in Ituri did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Yap Boum, who leads emergency preparedness and response at Africa CDC, said officials have sped up training for teachers so they are well informed about the disease. They will check studentsā€™ temperatures upon arrival, Boum said, and because clean water is not always readily available, sanitizing alcoholic gel is being provided.Ā
United Nations Secretary-General AntĆ³nio Guterres said Thursday that an additional $1.1 billion US is urgently needed to fight the outbreak, with the United Nation’s $2.13 billion response plan only 48 per cent funded ā€” largely because of a major contribution from the United States.Ā
Guterres said international attention and resources are still lagging behind the reality on the ground, warning that “without additional funding, vital operations will run out of money just when they need to expand.”
The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is officially the deadliest in the countryā€™s history, and health officials worry the crisis will only get worse when children return to school.
The outbreak in eastern D.R.C. is spreading under extremely difficult conditions, fuelled by insecurity, displacement, a health workers’ strike andĀ intense population movements. The World Health Organization has said it remains out of control and is on track to surpass the 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola outbreak, the deadliest on record, which killed more than 11,000 people.
Although the current outbreak was declared in mid-May, officials believe it had been spreading since February. It has spread from three health zones to nearly 60, with most cases and deaths occurring outside the network of monitored contacts and within communities.
No approved treatments
A key challenge in fighting the outbreak is that the rare Bundibugyo virus that is causing it has no approved vaccines or treatments, although clinical trials of potential vaccines and treatments have begun in D.R.C. as well as Canada and the U.K.Ā
Two studies are also under way to examine the effectiveness of the Ervebo vaccine, which was developed to treat the Zaire Ebola strain and which earlier studies have shown may provide cross protection against the Bundibugyo strain. In one of those trials, frontline workers have now started receiving doses of the Ervebo vaccine, said Placide Mbala Kingebeni, who oversees Africa CDC’s research, clinical trials and innovation efforts.
Efforts to bring the outbreak under control ā€” from limited public gatherings to social distancing and airport closures ā€” have disrupted life in the six affected provinces, particularly Ituri, which has been ravaged by rebel violence.
The government has introduced measures, including installing health and sanitary equipment at some locations, but advocacy groups say more needs to be done to build trust within the community.
“Beyond the practical challenges, community acceptance remains critical,” said Greg Ramm, director for Save the Children in D.R.C.
“The immediate priority is to ensure that every school, teacher and family has the information and resources they need to make the start of the school year as safe as possible for children.”
EspĆ©rance Dz’venga was shopping for school supplies Wednesday at Bunia’s central market. She said she wants her children in school, but worries about their safety.
“As a parent, I want to see my children in school, but ā€” like many other parents ā€” what I want most is for them to come home healthy,” she said. “We are afraid that our children might be exposed at school and then bring the illness home.”
About the Author
