Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF, or Doctors Without Borders) does not rule out a new Ebola Virus Disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), therefore, it learns from the current response to ensure a better one in the future, Francesco Segoni, a project coordinator for Middle East and Africa at MSF, told Sputnik on Tuesday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th August, 2018) Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF, or Doctors Without Borders) does not rule out a new Ebola Virus Disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), therefore, it learns from the current response to ensure a better one in the future, Francesco Segoni, a project coordinator for middle East and Africa at MSF, told Sputnik on Tuesday.
On August 1, the DRC Ministry of Public Health declared the beginning of a new Ebola outbreak in the countrys Ituri and North Kivu provinces. This is the 10th Ebola outbreak the DRC has faced in 42 years, and the second one declared this year.
"Ebola is endemic in this part of the world, outbreaks will probably happen again, which is why we have to learn from every intervention. Every time, we learn something new about treatments and vaccines which are still in the experimental phase - there is a lot of potential there," Segoni said.
Segoni added that MSF faced difficulties in accessing the Ebola-hit regions due to the volatile security situation and military operations in the area.
"We are facing practical challenges because of the security conditions - this is an area of conflict, where several armed groups are active. Our movements are limited, inevitably. MSF is a neutral organization and will run its activity without any protection or armed escort, we need to take into account the risk of the context," Segoni noted.
On Sunday, the World Health Organization (WHO) voiced similar concerns and urged the DRC government to ensure that medics have safe and free access to the affected areas. The organization warned that militant activities in the area could prompt both medics and local residents to refrain from undergoing checkups due to security concerns.
The DRC has suffered instability since the mid-1990s. The so-called Second Congo War, or the Great War of Africa, ended in 2003, but have clashes continued in the eastern areas of the country, where various rebel groups are still operating. The internal conflict has significantly intensified since late 2016.
